28 Seconds: Blood & Iron
by Mountain Dew 17
Summary: Part 4. As Tony begins a new life at NCIS, he tries to rebuild the one he lost long ago. As Three tries to take his father's place in the US Army's Elite Delta Force, he soon finds that the sins of his parents, will be paid for by their son. For the lives of the Unit, the White House, and NCIS, everything is about to change, and it all ends with something you'll never see coming.
1. A New Life: Part I

**28 Seconds: Blood & Iron**

 **On 21 November 1977, The United States Congress authorized the formation of an Elite group of US Army Special Forces soldiers that answer only to The President of The United States. They would be known as The Delta Force, or simply "The Unit".**

 **These are their stories.**

 **Chapter 1**

 **A New Life: Part I**

 **0235 hours, 6 June 2003, Corinthos Mob Family Casino, Washington D.C.**

"All in" a woman, dressed in a beautiful red dress said as she tossed in the remainder of her chips. "5,000" she said.

"Call" a man, dressed in a sharp black tuxedo, untied bowtie and all, replied in a deep, New York accent. The dealer turned over the river, giving no help to the woman who had been stuck with a pair of queens, losing to the gentleman's heart flush.

"I will need another 25,000" the woman said to the pitboss as she signed the slip.

"Of course, Mam" she said.

"I admire your courage, Ms.?" The tuxedoed man asked as he pulled out a silver cigarette case, and pulled one out. He snapped it shut and tapped the cigarette on top of the case a few times before sticking it in his mouth and flicking open his zippo

"Cane, Natalia Cane" she replied. "And I admire your luck, Mr.?"

"DiNozzo" he said as he lit the cigarette. "Tony DiNozzo" he said, snapping the lighter shut and blowing out a puff of smoke.

"Mr. DiNozzo, would you care to raise the stakes?" she asked.

"Oh, I have no objections" Tony grinned. Not that he would have any objections, seeing as his adoptive father, Michael "Sonny" Corinthos Jr., the founder and head of the Corinthos Crime Family, owned the Casino. As the dealer shuffled the cards, a man came over and whispered something in Tony's ear, before handing him a note. Tony looked down at it.

" _Tally Ho"_ it read.

"My, apologies everyone" he said as he stood up, crumpling the note in his hand. "But I must take my leave" he said. "Have these changed" he said as he handed his chips to one of the attendants. As he slipped on his jacket over his shirt and suspenders, complete with his holster that held his stainless steel Berretta Inox 9mm. The woman, Ms. Cane, walked over to him.

"Pity you have to leave, just as things were getting interesting" she said as she slipped on her wrap. Tony only chuckled as the man behind the counter handed him to packets of $100 bills.

"My apologies mam" Tony said as he tucked the cash inside his jacket. "I'm married" he said as he knocked his wedding ring on the counter. "Good night" he bowed his head before heading for the door. He stepped through and quickly made his way down to the street, where his baby cobalt blue (with a white racing stripe down the center) 1967 Ford Mustang convertible was parked. Tony jumped over the door, stuck his keys in the ignition and fired it up. He revved it a few times before putting it in gear and pulling away.

 **0300 hours, 6 June 2003, MCRT Bullpen, NCIS Headquarters, Washington Navy Yard, Washington D.C.**

The elevator dinged and Tony stepped off. Not much had changed since he'd 1st visited NCIS all those years ago. The walls were still the same hideous orange and the layout was still the same. The bullpen that belonged to Gibbs' MCRT was still in the same place, right next to the stairs. The only thing that had changed was Tony. Back then, he had been a Delta Force Officer, and now he was worked here.

"You ruined my evening Gunny" Tony said as he tossed his jacket over his shoulder.

"Its 3am DiNozzo" Gibbs said after checking his watch.

"Gibbs, this had better be important" he said as he took a seat on the edge of the desk next to Gibbs'.

"That's Viv's desk" Gibbs told. "And that one is Stan's" he said as he pointed to the one across from Viv's.

"Yeah, I don't care" Tony told him. "Gibbs, we are both Supervisory Special Agents. You run an MCRT and I'm on my own. That's what you promised me when you offered me this job" he said.

"Yeah, I know" Gibbs nodded.

"In one month, I have been handed 9 murder cases. I have closed all of them" he said.

"I know"

"And aside from the shockingly disturbing murder rate, that is a damn impressive record" Tony told him.

"Yeah, I know" Gibbs said. "Tony, did you take yesterday off to go to the funeral?" Gibbs asked.

"I went" Tony said. Gibbs gave him a look. "Ok yeah, I didn't go" Tony said.

"Won't Ambassador Quartermaine be a little peeved that you didn't go to her parents' funeral?" he asked.

"She'd better not be, she didn't go either" Tony said. "And how the hell did you find me?" he asked.

"I called Izzy" he told her.

"So you call her to find out where I am, but not on her birthday?" Tony asked.

"You're not exactly a candidate for father of the year either" Gibbs snapped.

"Yeah, but I have 5 kids and remember all of their birthdays. You can even do that for your one" he said.

"Fuck you" Gibbs said.

"Gibbs, as you said, it's 3am. Why the hell am I here?" he asked as he put his hands on Gibbs' desk.

"A case" he said.

"A murder?" Tony asked.

"Unclear" Gibbs told him. "But this case is way above Burley and Blackadder" he said as he handed his colleague the case folder.

"Lieutenant Douglas Warren, USN" Tony read. "Reads like an accident to me" he said.

"And to me, as well as the ME out at Pearl" Gibbs informed him.

"Pearl is way out of our jurisdiction" Tony told him. "And why the hell isn't the JAG Corps handling this?" he asked.

"Lt. Warren is the son of Elizabeth Warren, ring any bells?" he asked.

"As in Congresswoman Elizabeth Warren (D-MA)?" Tony asked.

"The very same" Gibbs nodded. "Lt. Warren was killed during a training exercise off of Kiribati"

"It says that Lt. Warren was a pilot. What the hell is he doing with a SEAL Team?" "He was TAD to SEAL Team 2" Gibbs said. "Which is under the Command of a Lieutenant Nathan Westbourne, your brother-in-law" Gibbs said.

"At least tell me I'm going in alone" Tony said.

"Nope" Gibbs shook his head. "But this part you actually might like" he said. "Director Morrow pulled some strings, and got you a partner that won't ruffle any Navy feathers" he said.

"Who?" Tony asked.

"Lieutenant Loren Singer" Gibbs said. "Your cousin, I believe?"

"Yeah" Tony nodded. "Even with the Political implications, why me?" Tony asked.

"Call it a gut feeling" Gibbs said.

"Rule 16: The problem with gut feelings, once you have one, you only see evidence that supports it" Tony said. "When am I expected at Pearl?" he asked.

"ASAP. You got a 7:30 flight out of Andrews. Lieutenant Singer will meet you there" he said.

"Alright" Tony said he said as he stood up and began to walk away. When he reached the end of the bullpen, he paused and turned his head. "Gibbs, how far am I permitted to go?" he asked.

"Do whatever you have to do, DiNozzo" Gibbs told him.

"Right" Tony nodded as he headed for the elevator.

 **1030 hours local time, 6 June 2003, Euphrates River, Iraq.**

Fallujah. The last defensible position the Iraqi Army had before Baghdad. As the Iraqi Army completed their build up, the Alpha Team watched across the river. "Why the hell don't we just swing around from the southeast?" asked Sergeant Alex "Zander" Smith.

"Supply lines" said 1st Sergeant Chester Martin, the Delta Force's Senior NCO and Team Leader. "If we come straight up from the south for the main assault, the fucking Fedayeen will take a fucking razor blade to our supply lines. If we come across the desert from Jordan, we can push through Fallujah and encircle Baghdad from the South. When Saddam makes a run for it, it'll be to the North, towards Kirkuk and Mosul" he said.

"Where the Kurdish Rebels and 82nd Airborne will be waiting for them" said Master Sergeant Tali Colleton. Since Chester had taken over the team, Tali had been his number 2. "Our orders are to scout enemy positions across the river and report back to General Morrell" she added.

"Hey" said Staff Sergeant Anthony Dominick "Three" DiNozzo III as he pointed across the river. "Convoy approaching from the Northeast, 2 limos, heavy escort" he pointed out. Chester unwound his binoculars and lifted them up.

"Well I'll be damned" Chester grinned. "It appears we have a visitor" he said. "Tals, get on the line to HQ, let em know what we found" he ordered. Tali nodded and grabbed the radio from one of the 2 Humvees, which were concealed behind a large sand dune.

"You think it's really him?" Zander asked.

"You wanna see him?" Three grinned. "Right there, 3rd from the left" Three pointed out. Zander took aim with his sniper rifle and gave a look see.

"Quite the peacock isn't he?" Zander joked, looking over Saddam's extravagant uniform.

"The Napoleon of the Middle East" Three grinned.

"No dice, boys" Tali yelled. "HQ says that if we can take him alive, great, but making him a martyr will make this a 10 times harder" Tali said as she walked back over. Zander and Three watched across the river as Saddam walked up to the water's edge. Zander grinned as he stuck up a wet finger. "Stand down, Sergeant" Tali ordered. Zander ignored her as he brought his modified M-16 Sniper Rifle to his shoulder. "Goddamn it Razor, stand down" She yelled. Zander squeezed off a round. "Zander!" she yelled. Across the river, the round slammed into the epaulette on Saddam's left shoulder, taking the ornate piece clean off. Saddam jumped back and ran away like a frightened puppy. Zander grinned as he lowered the rifle.

"Wind kicked up" he smiled.

"Sergeant, don't you ever do that again" Chester snapped at him.

"Yes, 1st Sergeant" he replied.

"Now, come on, let's get the hell outta here" Chester added.

 **2000 hours, 6 June 2003, Andrews AFB, Maryland.**

The sun was just beginning to set as the President's motorcade pulled up next to Air Force One. "He needs to do it" Rick yelled at Sonny as they got out of the car.

"If he does it, he'll be admitting he was wrong" Sonny, who was Senior Advisor to the President and the General Chairman of Obama/Edwards '04, shouted back.

"He has to do it now, before he has to do it later and it looks forced" Rick said.

"Both of you, shut up" the President said as he walked past them, his body man Rex following behind.

"Amen" Meg, the Chief of Staff agreed. Despite the President having announced that he would seek re-election over a month ago, he was still sinking in the polls. So it was put for by Rick, who was Campaign Manager, and agreed upon by both Meg and Sonny that the President should do a full on announcement from his hometown in Hawaii. And so, everyone, and I mean everyone would be making the trip to the President's compound in Hawaii. As they stepped onto the plane, Stephanie was immediately mobbed when she entered the Press Cabin.

"Ok, ok, I can only take 84 questions at the time" she said. "We're taking off in a few minutes and you'll get a full briefing then" she told them.

Meanwhile, after making sure his daughter Gigi was settled, the President moved to the Conference Room, to get the ball rolling. To say that he was unhappy would be a huge understatement. A magazine crushed in his hand, he threw open the door, and slammed it violently behind him. "It's this kind of crap that pisses me off" he said as he slapped the magazine, Newsweek, down on the table. His picture was on the cover, a headline reading " _Don Obama's White House Mafia_ ".

"Sir…" Jared spoke up.

"Allow me to read a few seconds" he said as he picked it up and flipped it open. _"At the head of the "family" is President Obama himself, accompanied by his underbosses, Senior Advisor Sonny Corinthos and Secretary of Education Jeb Bush, the latter of whom has become the President's right hand when it pertains to domestic policy, and his Consigliore, Chief of Staff Megan Martin. With the help of his Caporégimes, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Wesley Clark, CDS Coalition Commander Irving Morrell, his deputy Major General Todd Manning and Admiral Sam Carsten, President, or Don Obama is quickly becoming the most powerful executive in our nation's history, and well on his way to becoming an American Caesar"_

"Ouch" Sonny said.

"Not for nothing boss, when you kept me on and brought in Sonny, you had to know this was coming. The Justice Department has tried 3 times to bring RICO charges against Sonny. Luckily for me, I've never been charged, but I did defend him the last time" Meg spoke up.

"This has nothing to do with organized crime, it's all about Iraq" he said. "It was near unanimous in both the House and Senate. What the hell happened?"

"The initial declaration was only for the purposes of liberating Kuwait" Sonny said. "When we moved against Iraq itself, it required both an addition resolution and funding bill. Elway's paleocons voted against both, as did the liberal democrats" he said. "You're loved by center, but loathed by the flanks"

"We are this close to knocking Saddam from power. If we don't do it now, we never will" the President said.

"No one is arguing with you, Mr. President" said Secretary Bush.

"Will General Clark be in Honolulu?" he asked.

"Yes Sir" Sonny nodded. "He's flying out tomorrow morning"

"Good" the President nodded. "Let me have the room please" he said as he poured himself a cup of coffee. Everyone stood up to leave. "Jeb, stay behind a minute" he said. Once everyone was gone, Jeb closed the door behind them.

"What can I do for you, Mr. President?" he asked.

"You've been taking quite the beating in the papers as of late" the President said. "Liberals bashing you over your domestic policy targeting teacher tenure and more testing, Conservatives over your work with my administration" he said. "Given everything that's happened to you over the past few years, it's been quite the rollercoaster" he added.

The past 5 years had seen a lot of ups and downs for John Ellis Bush. It all started in 1998 when he was elected Governor of Florida. A year later, it came crashing down when his daughter Noelle and son John Jr. were killed in a car crash. Noelle had had a serious substance abuse problem, with crack-cocaine in particular. She had gotten into a car, high as a kite. John Jr. had tried to stop her, but Noelle ended up putting the car into a tree at 80mph, killing them both. It was soon after that, that Jeb's wife had filed for divorce and returned to Mexico, leaving Jeb and their son George (named for Jeb's father and brother) alone. In 2000, when his brother was elected President, things started to look up. That would all change on September 11th, when George, his wife Laura and daughter Jenna were killed at the family ranch in Texas. Jeb had been left to raise his niece Barbara, alone. Despite the urgings of his parents, Jeb had not only decided not to stand for re-election in 2002, but also resign the Governorship entirely. However, after hard convincing from his son, George, and niece/adoptive daughter Barb, he decided to stay in office. He would go on to be re-elected by the widest margin in state history.

"That would be a very large understatement, Mr. President" he said.

"Jeb, you came onboard with the promise that I would let you run the Education Department your own way"

"And you've kept that promise" Jeb said.

"Jeb, what I need from you now is a lot more. And that's why I'm going to give you an out. If you want, you can walk away when we land in Hawaii and I'll hold nothing against you. There's a Senate seat opening up next year in Florida. But if you choose to stay, I could really use your help" he said.

"What do you need, Mr. President?" he asked.

"I need you to be the Harry Hopkins to my FDR" he said. "These wars are gonna require me to give most of my attention to foreign affairs. However, I owe it to the American people to make sure that domestic affairs are looked after. I want that person to be you. While officially you would remain Secretary of Education, I would see to it that Interior, Agriculture, Labor, HHS, HUD, and Energy all report to you" he said. "Secretary Palmer will handle all foreign relations, and Reed will handle all security and military matters. McMahon will handle the FED and such. Everything else, would fall to you.

"That wouldn't be a problem, Mr. President" Jeb said. "Country First" he added.

"Country First" the President agreed. "I do everything I can to keep you out of the re-election stuff" he added.

"Actually, I wouldn't mind doing what I can" Jeb told him. "I mean, don't get me wrong, I'm a Republican through and through, but if you look at the clown car of assholes running, none of them are republicans. I mean sure, they call themselves Republicans, but none of them stand for what real Republicans stand for. I joined the Party of Lincoln, TR, Dewey, Eisenhower, Ford, my father" Jeb said. "All these ideological purist assholes care about is just that, ideological purity. And with the growing strength of the evangelical and paleoconservative wings, don't leave much room for folks like me. I mean, look at the list of real "winners" they're trotting out.

\- Senate Majority Whip Don Nickles (R-OK)

\- Governor Bill Owens (R-CO)

\- Governor Bob Riley (R-AL)

\- Fmr. Senator Bob Smith (R-NH)

\- Representative Tom Tancredo (R-CO)

"None of them have the balls to follow through in the Middle East. Nickles is the closest thing in the group to being a moderate, and that's saying something" Jeb said.

 **0530 hours local time, 7 June 2003, Naval Station Pearl Harbor, Pearl Harbor, Honolulu, Hawaii.**

Despite the early hour, it wasn't too early for Tony and Loren to begin their investigation. They had gotten said in a small classroom that had been used for classroom instruction for Navy pilot trainees "Nathan, what the hell is this" Tony said as he held up a piece of paper.

"My after action report" he said.

"It's 4 paragraphs long" Tony said. "My sister has written prescriptions longer than this" he said.

"There isn't much to say" Nathan said. "It was a simple training exercise. A 30-30 insertion"

"What's a 30-30 insertion?" Loren asked.

"Helo flies at 30 knots, 30 feet off the deck. They jump naked" he said.

"Naked?" Loren gave him a puzzled look.

"Without a parachute" Tony explained. "Nathan, what the fuck happened?" Tony yelled.

"I don't know" he said. "When we reached Doug in the water, he was dead. We rendezvoused with Dallas and made our way home" Nathan said.

"The Dallas? You RVed with a sub?" Tony asked.

"Yes" Nathan nodded.

"That isn't in your after action report" Loren told him.

"It isn't?" Nathan asked.

"No, it just says that you made the rendezvous and proceeded back to Pearl Harbor" Loren re-read. "We had assumed you had call back the chopper" she said. "Would you like to amend your statement?" she asked, handing him the paper. Nathan nodded and quickly wrote down the relevant information and signed his name a 2nd time.

"We tried, but by the time we radioed in, the chopper was out of range" Nathan said. "So we treaded water for a couple of hours until the RV"

"2 hours?" Loren asked. "Why the delay?"

"We were supposed to complete a 2 mile swim to shore and back" Nathan said.

"That wasn't in you report either" Loren continued her questioning.

"No, because we didn't do it" Nathan said. "We didn't want to leave Doug's body" he said.

"Was Lieutenant Warren capable of making that swim?" Tony asked.

"Yes" Nathan said. "He made a 5 mile swim the day with us the day he reported in"

"Nathan, what the hell happened out there?" Tony asked.

"I don't know" Nathan told him. "I guess he must have hit something in the water"

"That isn't in your after action report either" Loren said.

"I don't put speculation in my reports" he told her.

"Was this a Black Op, Lieutenant?" Tony asked.

"No"

"You're dismissed, Lieutenant" Tony told him. After Nathan was gone, Tony and Loren stepped outside and Tony lit up a cigarette.

"You think he's lying?" Loren asked.

"Through his teeth" Tony growled.

 **0700 hours local time, 7 June 2003, Obama Family Estate, 41-505 Kalanianaole Highway, Waimanalo Beach, Oahu, Hawaii.**

The Obama Family Estate wasn't much of one, at least, not when you compared it with the likes of the Bush Family Ranch in Crawford, Texas, the Reagan Ranch in California, or Jimmy Carter's Peanut farm in Plains, Georgia. The estate was a total of 200 acres, with the main compound sitting on approximately 5 acres on the southern coast of the island of Oahu. Despite having had grown up relatively poor, the President's family had owned the Estate from back before Hawaii was even a state. His great-grandfather had bought the land when Hawaii 1st became a US territory, for a whopping 2 cents and acre. Back then, however, it was over 500 acres. The value of the land had risen considerably over the years, allowing various generations of the Obama family to make whatever additions they wanted. But it was in the 60s, when the Hawaii Department of Transportation came in, and bought up 300 acres at a considerable price to build the Kalanianaole Highway. The money from that sale is what had allowed Barack Sr. to invest in stocks that would later prove quite fruitful. However, it wasn't until long after his death that the stocks would pay dividends and it was the President who had built up the estate during his time in the Senate. At Main house was a Spanish Colonial revival, 2-story L-shaped structure. In addition to that, there was also a guest house, a boathouse, greenhouse, tennis court, stables, as well as a man-made tidal pool and private beach.

The sun was just coming over the horizon as Rick and his father walked along the water's edge. "We can't assume that it's gonna be Nickles" Rick said. "I know that he has the most institutional support and name recognition, but there are too many unknowns, especially in New Hampshire" he said.

"Right now is the most dangerous time for an incumbent, when there's no opponent yet" Sonny agreed. "However, Nickles is the only one who can't hit us on foreign policy, seeing as how he voted for resolution to continue on into Iraq"

"And that's why we need to be prepared for the others too" Rick said.

"You miss it?" Sonny asked. "All this?"

"Hell yeah" Rick smiled. "I thought I could give it all up after the blood bath 3 years ago, but god did I miss it" he grinned. "We have just over 48 hours until the speech, he'll need all the time we can get planning it"

"Is it written?" Sonny asked.

"Totally" Rick nodded.

"THAT'S IT, WE'RE STARTING FROM STRATCH WITH A BLANK PIECE OF PAPER!" the sound echoed off each of the buildings. It was Gabby's voice.

"Or not" Rick said.

"Get. The. Speech. Done" Sonny said as he poked his son in the chest.

"Yes Sir" Rick nodded. "Hey" he changed the subject. "Is that Meg?" he asked, his jaw hung slightly open. Sonny turned and saw a beautiful blonde women in a tight one-piece bathing suit stepping out the water, her face obscured by her wet hair, which hung down over her face. They watched as the women bend down and threw her head back, putting her hair back in place. And sure enough, it was Meg. Rick grinned widely as they walked over. "Meg" he smiled.

"Rickey" Meg returned the smile as she wringed out her hair.

"We were just discussing the President's agenda the next couple of days" Sonny said to his former Consigliore.

"Well, we're gonna need to set a few hours aside. Morrell and Manning are flying in from Kuwait, Holden from Bagram, and Wes & and the Joint Chiefs from DC" she told them.

"Fallujah?" Sonny asked.

"Yeah" Meg said. "It seems that the Lightning Count has come up with a real humdinger this time" she added. "Rick, do you think we'll have the airwaves clear by Monday?" she asked.

"The McCain's funeral was a small, private affair, it won't last much longer" he said. "It's freaky isn't it? Both of dying so close together?" he said.

"History is freaky like that" Meg agreed as she said as she dried off her hair. "I gotta go find the boss man" she said as she slipped a towel over her shoulders. Meg made her way along the beach and back through the gate to the grass of the main compound. The dew on the morning glass was cold against her bare feet. She found the President out by the garage, sitting on the tailgate of an old ford pickup; cigarette in one hand, coffee mug in the other. "Morning Boss" she said as she walked over.

"Meg" the President nodded. "What's the good word?" he asked as he blew out a puff of smoke. "Besides the speech not being done"

"You heard that?" Meg asked.

"I think all of Pearl Harbor heard it" the President said.

"Congresswoman Warren's son was killed in a training exercise near Kiribati" Meg said.

"Terrific, we just gave one of the most anti-military members of congress another thing to rant about" the President said. "And that poor boy" he added. "How old?"

"25" Meg said.

"So young" the President said. "What happened?" he asked.

"Unclear at this time" Meg said. "NCIS and JAG have both sent representatives to investigate"

"Who did they send?"

"Admiral Chegwidden send a Lt. Loren Singer. She recently returned from a tour as Battle Group JAG to Task Force 63"

"She sat 2nd chair at the War Crimes Tribunal didn't she?" he asked.

"Yes Sir" Meg nodded.

"And NCIS?" POTUS asked.

"Supervisory Special Agent Anthony Dominick DiNozzo Jr." Meg smiled.

"Tony's in Hawaii?" the President asked.

"Yes Sir" she nodded.

"Well, let's hope he has enough tact to deal with the Congresswoman" he said.

"He doesn't" Meg said.

"Yeah, that's what I'm afraid of" the President concurred. "So, what have you and Rick cooked up for Monday?" he asked.

"Everything is clear, and we've informed all departments not to make any major announcements so that we can have the news cycle to ourselves. However, we are considering postponing" she said.

"Why?" he asked.

"The 1st round of subpoenas are gonna come out on Monday" she said.

"Aw hell, Meg" he said as he flicked away a cigarette. If we wait 2 months that's when the 1st round of subpoenas will come" he said. "It's a witch hunt. They only thing we can do is get prepared to defend ourselves" he said.

 **0900 hours local time, 7 June 2003, Joint-Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii**

"This is gonna be a hoot and a holler" Tony said as he and Loren watched the small gulfstream come in on final approach.

"Did you see that press coverage yesterday?" Loren asked her older cousin.

"You mean when she called the military 'Nazi Stormtroopers'?" he asked. She nodded. "Yeah, I saw it" he said. "Fucking cunt" he snarled.

"Watch it" Loren cautioned.

"Bit me" Tony replied as the plane pulled up next to them and the ramp dropped. "Oh, for fucks sake" Tony said when he saw who was escorting the Congresswoman.

"Congresswoman Warren, this is Lieutenant Loren Singer of the Navy JAG Corps and Supervisory Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo of NCIS" the Congresswoman's escort told her.

"How long have you been with NCIS, Special Agent DiNozzo?" the Congresswoman asked.

"A month" Tony said.

"The agent investigating my son's death has only been on the job a month?!" Congresswoman Warren raved.

"In which time I've closed 9 murder cases" Tony said.

"Before joining NCIS, Agent DiNozzo was a US Army Special Forces Officer" Loren said. "He's also, Lieutenant Westbourne's brother-in-law" she added.

"That's like letting the SS investigate Auschwitz" Warren shot off.

"Fuck you" Tony told her.

"What's your badge number?"

"We don't have badge numbers" Tony told her. "But in case you're wondering, my name is Supervisory Special Agent Anthony Dominick DiNozzo Jr. of the United States Naval Criminal Investigative Service" Tony said as he yanked off his glasses and got right in her face.

"Well, Special Agent DiNozzo, I'll have you know that I won't let the military off that easy. I won't accept that he died with his boots one. There will be no military funeral, no folded flag, no missing man fly over. My son was better than all that. He was destined for more than a 6x5 plot at Arlington" she ranted.

"They all were" Tony told her, shutting her up right quick.

"Lieutenant Singer, why don't you show the Congresswoman where she can freshen up" said the Congresswoman's escort.

"Of course" Loren nodded. "If you'll follow me Mam" she held out her arm. Once they were far enough away, Tony turned to leave when someone barked his name.

"DiNozzo" the voice carried enough venom in it. Tony stopped and turned around, as the voice had emanated from the female agent that had accompanied the Congresswoman.

"Ya know, I thought that back when the Army canned your ass that I'd seen the last a you" Tony said as he slipped his aviators back on.

"Oh Tony, you should've known better than that" she grinned.

"So tell me, Hollis, how much of a pain in my ass are you going to be?" he asked.

"We're on the same side now, Tony" she said. "We both want justice for the kid" she said.

"I'm having a sawbones flown in from the sandbox to do the autopsy. Everyone here is keen on protecting someone"

"Who is it?" she asked.

"Jeanne Benoit" Tony said. "I called her before I flew in this morning. She should be arriving at about midnight tonight" he said.

"Ok, I'll keep the wonderful Congresswoman busy until the fair Captain arrives" she told him.

"And I'll see if I can pry the truth out of my wonderful brother-in-law" Tony said.

 **2230 hours local time, 7 June 2003, US 6** **th** **Armored Division Headquarters, Mafraq, Jordan.**

With Lieutenant General Morrell on a plane stateside, his deputy, Major General Todd Manning had been left in command of the CDS Coalition. The upcoming attack, codenamed Operation Desert Comet, was to be a massive armored attack across the Western Iraqi Desert, over the Euphrates River, and into Fallujah. The move would split the Iraqi Defenses in 2, and cut off the defenders of Ramadi to the Northwest. It was a risky gambit, but if successful, it could shorten the war by months. Leading the attack, would be the recently resurrected US 6th Armored Division. Knowing that the 6th was mostly untested in battle, General Manning decided to review the tankers personally. There was no doubt in his mind that the 6th was well prepared, equipped with the latest M1A2s Main Battle Tanks. It was once said that training is very useful, but nothing when compared to experience. To that effect, the 6th would be flanked by the Quebecois 1st Armored Division, the British King's Royal Hussars Regiment and the German 7th and 10th Panzer Divisions.

The attack was also important for political reasons. Despite the initial popularity of the Liberation of Kuwait, the further incursion into Iraq itself had turned out to be extremely unpopular with the International Community. The Presidency of Barack Obama and Premierships of Pierre Talon in Quebec and Roland Cartland in Britain were riding heavily on a successful outcome of the war.

As Major General Manning reviewed the men, on the other side of camp, a small Humvee convoy pulled up. Dressed in his sanitized fatigues and a cigar between his teeth, Colonel Thomas Colleton, Commanding Officer of the Delta Force, stepped out of the Humvee. Accompanying him was his aide, Staff Sergeant Izabella Gibbs, formerly of the British Foreign Intelligence. They stepped away from the convoy and moved towards a tent that was off to the side of the compound. She threw back the tent and, wasn't all that shocked what he saw. His daughter, Tali, was topless and turned away from everyone, with a dartboard spray-painted on her back. "Ya know" he said quietly to his aide. "What's sad, is that I am not at all surprised" he said.

"I couldn't agree more, Sir" Izzy agreed. And to think, she's the mother of your grandson" she added. "Ten-Hut!" she yelled. Everyone turned around, even Tali, who had 2 darts hanging from her back.

"Well this is awkward" she slurred, obviously having had quite a few drinks. With a grunt, she reached behind her and pulled the darts from her back, tossing them back on the table. She then grabbed her tan t-shirt and slipped in on.

"What's up Colonel?" Chester asked, his feet up on the table.

"I heard something interesting on my way in" the Colonel said.

"Yeah, what's that Dadio?" Tali asked as she took a swig from a half-empty bottle of vodka.

"A shooter from this team took a pot shot at Saddam this morning" he said as he crossed his arms across his chest.

"Yeah, and who might that be?" Zander asked. He was seated against the fall wall, his back against the one of the tent poles. His modified M-16 was laying across his chest, a cigarette hanging from his lips.

"Gee, I don't Sergeant, who do you think it was?" the Colonel replied.

"Beats me, Colonel" Zander replied.

"Papillion, report in to General Manning that we've arrived. 1st Sergeant Martin, with me"

"Yes Sir" Chester said as he stood up. Once they were outside the tent, Chester lit up a cigarette. "What's up Boss?" he asked.

"You wanna tell me what the hell I just walked in on?" he asked.

"Just blowing off a little steam" Chester said. "Desert Comet has us all on edge" he said.

"That's why I'm here, I'm pulling Alpha Team off of Desert Comet" Colleton told him. "Bravo Team will take your place" he added.

"What the fuck!" Chester said. "We've been on this for a month. We're prepped and ready" he said.

"The Lighting Count has decided to change things up a bit. A member of the Alpha team, your team, will be temporarily re-assigned to Ranger Units"

"You can't be serious?" Chester questioned.

"I am" Colleton replied. "Last night, a Marine Recon Unit called in an airstrike on what they believed was over 100 advancing Iraqi tanks. The Air Force dropped over 11,000 pounds of ordinance. You wanna guess what they hit?"

"Camels?"

"Nothing" Colleton said. "They hadn't slept in a while, which affected their depth perception. They mistook the lights from a nearby village as advancing armor"

"Oh for Christ's sake" Chester said.

"Morrell wants these units to have Special Forces backup from now on. The SEALs were detailed to the Jarheads, y'all get the ground pounders" he said.

"Fine" Chester said. "Not like we gotta choice anyway" he growled.

"No you do not" Tom told him.

"Who am I sending?" he asked.

"I'll leave that up to you" Colleton told him. "Sober up and prepare to move out at 1st light" he added.

"Yes Sir" Chester nodded before turning to leave.

"I didn't catch that salute, 1st Sergeant" Colleton called after him.

"Imagine that" Chester retorted, not looking back as he walked away.

 **1535 hours local time, 7 June 2003, Obama Family Estate, 41-505 Kalanianaole Highway, Waimanalo Beach, Oahu, Hawaii.**

"So as you can see here" General Morrell, the Commander of CDS Coalition Forces in Iraq, pointed with his with metal pointer on the map of the screen. "We bypass Ramadi and hit Fallujah head on" he said. "The 6th Armored, supported by several Infantry divisions will lead the assault" he said. "I know that it's a risk, but if successful, it could shorten the war by months" he said.

"I don't like leaving a bulge in our lines" said the President. "What if Ramadi becomes a Bastogne, or Tobruk?" he asked.

"Sir, the Iraqis have but a few Infantry Regiments in Ramadi, nothing that can do any real damage"

"They can wreak havoc on our supply convoys" said Secretary of Defense Jack Reed. "I agree with the President. Even if it prolongs the war, it'll be worth it to prevent further casualties"

"Irv, if we make the move into Ramadi, how long would it take to secure it?" asked General of the Army Wesley Kane Clark, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

"To secure the entire city?" Morrell asked. "2 years"

"How long would it take to eject enemy combat forces from the city?"

"4-6 weeks" Morrell said.

"And when would the kickoff be?"

"June 22nd" Morrell replied.

"How quaint" the President said as he lit a cigarette. "Ok" he paused. "Do we have the strength to move on both Ramadi and Fallujah simultaneously?" he asked.

"Yes and No" Morrell said.

"Mr. President, the CDS has the manpower, but the United States by itself does not. In the case of an all-out, simultaneous offensive against both Ramadi and Fallujah, we would have to heavily on armored forces from the AROQ, British and German Militaries. We would also need support from the AROQ Light Infantry and the British Regulars" said General Clark. "Not that they aren't reliable, but both the British and Germans are facing stiff opposition to the war at home" he said.

"Are any of them in danger of pulling out?" the President asked.

"My team doesn't think so, Mr. President" said David Palmer, the Secretary of State.

"Mr. President, the point we're trying to make is that our Allies are far less experienced than our own boys" said General Morrell. "Less experience equals more casualties" he added.

"Leaving our flanks exposed will surely lead to just as many if not more casualties, as will giving Saddam time to prepare his defenses in Fallujah. We go ahead as originally planned on the 22nd. Is that a problem General Morrell?" the President asked.

"No Sir" Irv replied.

"Good. David, have your people coordinate with Irv's, we'll need to make sure that our allies understand that Irv is running the show"

"Of course, Mr. President" David nodded. As the President stood, so did everyone else in the room.

"Ten-Hut!" Wes yelled as all of the men in uniform snapped to attention. As General Holden continued briefing the Joint Chiefs and the Secretaries, the President, followed by Meg, Sonny and Jeb stepped outside.

"June 22nd" the President said as he lit a cigarette and snapped the lighter shut. "It's like a bad joke" he growled.

"They have good reason" Sonny said. "We were this close to crushing the commies in '68 when Johnson ordered an end to the bombings" he added. "I guarantee you that Wes and Jack are in there thinking the same thing"

"Hey, it's not like I never served" the President said. "I got the Silver Star in Grenada"

"Please don't compare Grenada to Vietnam, boss" Sonny said.

"I wasn't" the President replied. "It was because of all the fuckups in Grenada that things got reorganized giving more direct authority to the Joint Chief and taking it away from the civilians"

"I would still advise against it, Sir" Sonny told him.

"Right" the President said. "Jeb, you've got some foreign policy chops, get together with the staffers over at State and DOD, and start running the numbers on vamping up recruitment. I want hard numbers on my desk for an increase of 2.5 million over 10 years, with a retention of 35% after that" he said.

"Are we gonna raise taxes?" he asked.

"Not necessarily, but we are gonna have to roll back your Brother's 2001 tax cuts" the President said. "Sorry Jeb" he added.

"It's ok, Mr. President. W. would understand" Jeb said.

"Sonny, tell Ricky to start kicking some ass over there on that speech. Also, I want you to start putting together some notes for Stephanie for the upcoming offensive. She's gonna be bombarded with questions once things get rolling"

"I'll take care of it, Mr. President" Sonny nodded as he walked away, leaving only the President and Meg, his Chief of Staff, standing there.

"Meg"

"Yes, Mr. President?" she asked.

"We're gonna need a lawyer, other than the White House Counsel, someone very, and I mean very good"

"I'm on it, Mr. President" she said.

 **2350 hours local time, 7 June 2003, Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.**

It was nearly midnight as Tony stood on the flight line, cigar between his teeth as he waited for Captain Benoit's flight to land. For Tony, it had been a very, very long day. Despite no longer being in the Army, he still had his contacts. He knew that the Army was preparing for an assault on Baghdad from the west across the Jordanian Desert. He wished like hell that he could be with em, but alas, that wasn't his job anymore. He turned his headed as he saw a C-141 come in on final approach. He grinned as he blew out a large puff of smoke. Despite having only met in March, Tony and Jeanne had become fast friends. They were able to relate on many levels, including the tough childhoods they had each faced. The wheels on the Starlifter screeched as they slammed onto the tarmac as the plane came in for a landing. Tony flicked away his cigar as he walked over to the hangar to which the plane had pulled into. Getting off the plane were mostly uniformed Navy personnel, with duffels over their shoulders. Tony leaded as he waited for Jeanne to step off the ramp. She waived at him as she appeared in the door and walked over, a small pack on her back. "You dragged by ass 8,700 miles, this had better be important" she said in her heavy Louisianan accent.

"8,725" Tony said as he lit a cigarette, snapping the lighter shut.

"8,725.9157, to be exact" she said as she took the cigarette from Tony's hand and took a puff herself.

"Show off" Tony grumbled, he said as he pushed off the wall and lit up another smoke. "I don't suppose you've seen the news?" he asked.

"I have. Congresswoman Warren's son" she said. "I take it that's why I'm here" she said.

"Yep" Tony nodded as they walked along in the night as Saturday the 7th, turned to Sunday the 8th. "Lieutenant Warren was TAD to a Platoon from SEAL Team 2, led by Lieutenant Nathan Westbourne…"

"Your brother-in-law?" Jeanne interrupted.

"Yeah, although not for much longer" Tony replied.

"Kate still think you went to Iraq as part of some secret plot to cheat on her?" Jeanne grinned.

"Yep" Tony nodded.

"She still sleeping with that Marine Corps, Major?"

"Yep" Tony nodded again.

"Where I come from, she'd be shot for that" Jeanne told him.

"Of course she would. I'd do the same thing if my Uncle was Governor" Tony grinned.

"I thought your old man had Pataki on his payroll?" Jeanne asked.

"He does" Tony said. "But money hardly makes up for flesh and blood" he quipped.

"My family has held power back home for quite a long time, even back before the Kingfish himself" she said. "Uncle Henry is just the latest in a very long line of Long Family politicians"

"You know that your Uncle takes money from us too right?" he asked.

"We're the Longs, of course he's on your payroll. Long is Creole for corruption" she grinned. "So cut to the chase T, why am I here?" she asked as she lit a cigarette.

"I want you to do a 2nd autopsy on Lieutenant Warren" Tony said.

"I'm no Medical Examiner" Jeanne said. "I specialize in keeping people alive, not telling you why they died"

"There's something off about the 1st autopsy. According to that, Lieutenant Warren died when he hit his head on something in the water"

"That's plausible" Jeanne said. "The chance of him having had hit something is highly improbable, but if he did, it likely would have rendered him unconscious, and caused him to drown, if not kill him outright" she said.

"Either way, I want that 2nd autopsy" he told her.

"I'll do what I can" Jeanne told him as she snubbed out the cigarette and lit another. "But don't be surprised if the results don't change"

 **4 hours later- 0430 hours local time, 8 June 2003, Base Morgue, Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.**

"Tell me you got something" Tony barked as he stormed through the doors to the morgue, Lieutenant Singer and Special Agent Mann in tow.

"Oh, I found something alright" Jeanne said as she lit up another cigarette. "Massive head trauma, 4 fractured cervical vertebrae, a crushed chest and lacerated lungs. Take your pick, they all would have been fatal" she said.

"All of that was in the 1st report" Hollis spoke up. "It was concluded that it was a drowning after hitting his head. Are you now saying otherwise?" she asked.

"This boy never had time to drown" Jeanne said. "He was killed on impact"

"From hitting something in the water?" Loren Singer asked.

"Actually, the water itself" Jeanne said. "It was likely as hard as concrete when he splashed down"

"How?" Loren asked.

"Terminal Velocity tends to do that" Jeanne said.

"Terminal Velocity is 125mph, you can hit that in a 30-30 insertion"

"No, but you can in a HALO Jump" Tony said. "Especially if that jump was from 35,000 feet"

"Bingo" Jeanne said. "His oxygen levels were so low, it was likely that he was already unconscious when he went in"

"So Lieutenant Westbourne lied to us" Loren said.

"Oh, I think he may have done a little more than that" Jeanne said as she stepped away from the table and over to a different one. "Look at this" she said, showing them a disassembled oxygen mask. "According to Lieutenant Westbourne's pre-op plan, this mask was brand new out of the box when it was issued to Lieutenant Warren. Which then begs the question, what the hell happened to this O-ring" she said as she used a pair of forcipes to hold it under a magnifying glass.

"A crack" Hollis observed.

"That's to clean for a crack" Tony said. "That O-ring's been cut"

"We checked that mask before, and it worked" said Loren.

"The cut's too small for it to leak in the warm air down here at Sea Level" Jeanne said. "But in the cold up at 35,000, the ring would contract, widening the slit"

"It'd be like sucking concrete through a soda straw" Tony said.

"So what are you to saying?" Hollis asked. "That Lieutenant Warren's death was intentional?"

"Agent Mann, this here boy been murdered" Jeanne replied ominously.

 **PLEASE REVIEW**

 **(Tony's voice)- Next time on "28 Seconds: Blood & Iron"-**

 **In Hawaii, Tony and Hollis' backs are to the wall as they attempt to break the SEAL code of silence. At the same time, the President's staff prepare to kick off his re-election campaign. In Iraq, Three draws the short straw and gets re-assigned to a Ranger Company.**

 **A/N- I'm back guys. It's been a slow start, but with school and work wrapping up, I'm gonna have a lot of time to write coming up. So please review and send PMs. I absolutely love hearing from you guys. Y'all are the best. Have a safe and Merry Christmas… Or Chanukah… or Kwanza, or whatever the hell you celebrate, have a happy holiday. And if you don't celebrate anything, maybe you can take comfort in these few words: "It's Festivus for the rest of us"**

 **Also, I would like to thank my English 101 & 102 Professor, Prof. Angius, who gave me a second chance when no one else did. It was her who inspired me to keep going and start writing again as I put my life back together. She is a true inspiration to me, and I hope to do her proud. **

**From all of us here at "28 Seconds", Goodnight.**


	2. A New Life: Part II

**Chapter 2**

 **A New Life: Part II**

 **0630 hours local time, 8 June 2003, Officers Mess, Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.**

Dressed in his service khakis, Lieutenant Nathan Westbourne sat quietly, sipping his coffee as the morning buzz of the mess deck was in full swing. Sitting across from him was his executive officer, Ensign Brody Lovett. "You think that you're brother-in-law gonna find anything?" the Ensign asked.

"We have our orders Brod, just keep your mouth shut" Nathan said as he stood up, empty tray in hand. He tossed out his trash, and turned around when he heard someone yell his name. He turned and was met with a stiff right jab to the mouth, knocking him back into the trash can. Nathan quickly righted himself, only to be met with another punch to the jaw, this one knocking him to the floor. Blood dripping from his upper lip, he looked up and saw that it was none other than Tony who had hit him. Tony quickly shed his black leather jacket, revealing a tight black t-shirt, as he reached down and grabbed Nathan by the collar of his uniform. Tony lifted him off the ground and slammed him into a concrete pillar.

"You son of a bitch" Tony growled through his teeth. "You lying piece of shit" Tony said as he flung Nathan over one of the tables. Nathan's survival instincts kicked in, and he was quick to his feet. Despite his SEAL Training however, he was no match for Tony. Within seconds, Tony had Nathan pinned to the floor, locked in a chokehold.

"Tony that's enough!" Hollis Mann yelled as she came running over. Tony just ignored her. "Damn it, I said that's enough!" she repeated as Jeanne came into the Officer's Mess as well. When it became clear that Nathan was about to pass out, Jeanne knew she would have to be the one to act.

"Aw hell, gimme this" she said as she grabbed Hollis' Sig Sauer from her holster. Before the Special Agent had a chance to react. Jeanne cocked the hammer and fired off 3 rounds into the ceiling. Tony looked up and saw Jeanne standing there, smoke rising from the barrel. Tony saw the look in her eyes and released the hold, albeit reluctantly. Tony stood up as Nathan gasped for air. "Take a walk" she said as she pushed Tony away. Hollis then went to work.

"Lieutenant Nathan Westbourne, you are under arrest for violations of the following articles of the Uniform Code of Military Justice: Article 81: Conspiracy; Article 134: False Swearing; Article 131: Perjury; Article 133: Conducting Unbecoming an Officer and a Gentleman of the United States Navy, and Article 118: Murder" Hollis said as she placed Nathan in handcuffs, and led him away.

 **0700 hours local time, 8 June 2003, Obama Family Estate, 41-505 Kalanianaole Highway, Waimanalo Beach, Oahu, Hawaii.**

Meg was out for her morning swim when she heard her cellphone ring back on the beach. Meg quickly made his way back onto the beach. She threw a towel over her head as she picked it up. "Martin" she answered.

" _Hey_ " said a very familiar voice.

"Hey yourself" Meg replied as she sat down in the warm sand. "You ok, you sound a little off" she questioned. When he didn't say anything, she spoke again. "Tony, you there?"

" _Yeah_ " Tony said. " _We had a break in the Warren Case_ " he said.

"That's great" Meg smiled.

" _No it ain't_ " Tony said. " _Me and Hollis just arrested Nathan for murder_ "

"Nathan?" she paused. "Nathan Westbourne? Kate's younger brother?" Meg asked.

" _Yeah_ "

"Fuck" Meg let out slowly. "You gonna be ok?" she asked. Ever since Tony had started at NCIS, he hadn't had much of social life. With Rex working ridiculous hours, Three overseas, Liat in Israel, Molly with her mother in North Carolina and EJ in New York, he was very alone. He and Meg had been good friends for a number of years, but ever more so in the past month. Tony hadn't really found a place to stay yet. His father had a house in Virginia, but Tony really wasn't up living with his father like he was back in high school. On the occasion when he would babysit his grandson, Tony would crash there on Rex's couch. But on most nights, he would end up crashing on Meg's. Meg didn't mind much, she could use the company. And despite no longer being in the Army, Tony's security clearance hadn't changed, meaning she was able to vent to him about the problems she was facing. "How good is your case?" she asked.

" _I got 'em dead to rights on everything but the 118. All the evidence for that is circumstantial_ "

"Sometimes a circumstantial case is better than a hard one" Meg said.

" _That doesn't make any sense_ " Tony told her.

"Yeah I know. It's just something they taught us in law school" she chuckled.

" _How's the President's speech coming along?_ " Tony asked. "Ricky blown his brains out yet?"

"The speech is coming along" Meg said. "I hope you can make it to the event" she said.

" _If I'm still in town, I'll see what I can do_ " Tony said.

"Be careful, Tony" Meg cautioned him.

" _Will do_ " Tony said before the connection broke. Meg tossed the cellphone away and collapsed on her back in the warm sand. She laid there for a few minutes until she caught a glimpse of someone walking over in the corner of her eye.

"Go away" Meg moaned as she covered her face with the towel.

"Afraid I can't do that" said a familiar voice. Meg pulled the towel off her face and saw General Clark standing over her.

"General Clark, Sir" Meg said as she stood up, more out of practiced reflex than anything else. Despite having resigned her Naval Commission over 7 years earlier, she still retained much of her training.

"Take it easy Meg" he said. Meg threw the towel over her shoulders, using it to dry her hair. "Walk with me?" the General asked.

"Of course, Sir" she said. On September 11th, 2001, Wesley Kane Clark was promoted to General of the Army by President McCain, something that was later formally confirmed by the United States Senate. In doing so, Wesley became the 1st 5-star officer in the United States Military since the death of Omar Bradley in 1981. However, in accepting the promotion, Wes also committed the remainder of his natural life to the United States Army, as 5-star officers are not permitted to retire. Much like the act that promoted him, it would take a similar act of congress to allow him to retire. There were times when Meg and others wondered in Wes had known what he'd gotten himself into. Other times, those very same people were extremely glad that it was Wes who'd gotten the chance to make history; the chance to influence American Military and Foreign Policy for the next 100 years. Not since the days of George Marshall did a General have this great a chance to direct the course of a nation.

"Meg, I need your help" Wes told him.

"What can I do for you?" she inquired.

"I need you to find me someone with a certain set of skills"

"For what task?"

"Regime Change" Wes said.

"I know of several people" Meg said. "I assume you're keeping this from the president?"

"He needs deniability" Wes said.

"You're Nephew would fit the bill quite nicely" Meg said. "I believe this would fall under his area of expertise"

"Tony isn't in the military anymore"

"No, but he's still a Federal Agent, and would gladly carry out the task at hand"

"Tony is heading up a very high-profile investigation. If he suddenly takes off without warning, it'll raise a lot of red flags" he said.

"General, you have the CIA and The Unit at your disposal, why come to me? Because I used to work for Sonny?"

"Who you kidding, Meg" Wes grinned. "You worked for Sonny from the day that you left the Navy, and you ain't never stopped. You may not be Consigliore anymore, but you must think that I'm dumber than a pet rock" he grinned as Meg stopped walking.

"Who is it that you want taken care of?" Meg asked. "As it so happens, I might know some people who can arrange such things"

"My opposite number up north" Wes said.

"Albert Clarke?" Meg asked, to which Wes nodded. "Quite the coincidence, don't you think?"

"Who did you have in mind?" Wes asked.

"Tony" Meg said. "I'd have him wait until he wraps up his business here in Hawaii, but he is the one I know of that has experience in assassinating a Head of State" she said.

"I'm not going to ask" Wes said.

"Once he's done, I'll meet with him, and give him all the details" she said. "You want it to look like an accident?"

"No" Wes said. "Blow his fucking head off"

"Yes Sir" Meg nodded.

 **0730 hours local time, 8 June 2003, Base Brig, Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.**

Nathan was isolated in the interrogation room as Tony looked in from the adjoining observation room. "Where are the rest of his men?" Tony asked.

"Base MPs have them isolated and under guard" Hollis said.

"Ok" Tony said. "Jeanne, do you have any doubts about your findings?" he asked.

"No" Jeanne replied. "There ain't in doubt in my mind, that boy was murdered" she replied in her thick Louisiana drawl.

"Ok then, let's do this" Tony said as he and Hollis moved into the hall and then into interrogation. They took their seats on the opposite side of the table from Nathan.

"If you want, you're entitled to speak with an attorney"

"Why am I under arrest?" Nathan asked.

"I'll take that as a no" Tony said.

"Why am I under arrest?" Nathan repeated.

"Well, for starters, you lied to Special Agent DiNozzo and Lieutenant Singer. You signed an affidavit knowing it contained false statements, which equates to both making false statements and perjury. And because of that, there's also conduct unbecoming. AND, b/c you convinced your team members to continue that lie, making it conspiracy" Hollis told him.

"Oh come on, like you never lied when you were with Delta?" Nathan looked over at Tony.

"We ain't talking about me" Tony told him. "And Lt. Douglas Warren was murdered. Me and Hollis know the who, the when, the where, and the how. Now we want to know the why" he said.

"He wasn't murdered" Nathan said. It was an accident during a 30-30 insertion" Nathan maintained the company line.

"Lt. Warren hit terminal velocity before splashing down. That is impossible to hit doing a 30-30" Tony told him. "But, is very likely, especially if he jumped from 35,000 and never deployed his chute"

"Are you implying that Doug committed suicide?" Nathan asked.

"His chute never deployed because it's kinda hard for a guy who's unconscious to pull the ripcord" Tony said. "The O-ring on mask was cut. I'm guessing that at 35,000 you fell for about 2 minutes before deploying. That means his brain was cut off from oxygen for at least 2 minutes. When you factor in the height he jumped from, he would have been unconscious within no more than 90 seconds after stepping off" Tony said. "Tell me I'm wrong" he dared his brother-in-law. Nathan nodded.

"About a minute after we jumped, Doug broke the pattern. I kept yelling for him, but he was silent. I told him to pull, but he just kept going" Nathan confirmed.

"Why'd you it?" Tony asked.  
"I lied for the same reasons you did. To protect the team" he said.

"That much was obvious from the beginning" Tony said. "I mean why did you kill Lieutenant Warren"

"I didn't" Nathan replied.

"You did" Tony slammed his fist on the table. "You cut his O-ring. You issued the mask, and I want to know why" he demanded.

"The Mask was issued by General Banke" Nathan said.

"Who is General Banke?" Hollis asked.

"Brigadier General Alexander Banke, United States Air Force. Commander, Joint Special Operations Command Southwest" Tony said. "He's a former Air Force Pararescuemen" he said.

"Due to budget cuts, we don't carry any spare equipment. The mask was requisitioned and issued by General Banke" Nathan said.

"DiNozzo, outside" Hollis motioned. Tony and Hollis stepped into the hall. "Do you know this General Banke?" she asked.

"Our paths crossed a few times" he replied. "But if you want to take on an Air Force One Star, you're gonna need some help" he said.

"You have someone in mind?" she asked.

"I'll make a call"

 **1900 hours local time, 8 June 2003, Hangar 45-A, Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.**

Knowing he had no other choice if her wanted to clear his name, Nathan had his team assemble as requested by Special Agents DiNozzo and Mann. A door to the hangar opened, and Jeanne stepped in, now dressed in her Class-A uniform. "Ten-Hut!" she yelled. The SEAL Team snapped to attention as another figure stepped through the door, also in a class-A uniform; only this one was much different. The SEALs' jaws dropped when they saw who stepped through the door. The man walked over and looked them up and down.

"My name is General of the Army Wesley Kane Clark" he spoke loudly, and clearly. He placed his hands behind his back as he paced back and forth in front of them. "I am the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff" he continued. "And before I leave this hangar, I will know the why, and how of Lieutenant Douglas Warren's death" he told them. "Or Special Agent DiNozzo here, is gonna have your ass" he paused. "And I'm gonna have your soul" he grinned.

"General Banke gave me a direct order, Sir" Nathan said.

"To submit a false after action report?" the General asked.

"Yes Sir"

"And you did it?"

"It was a direct order, Sir"

"Was it lawful?" Clark yelled.

"Sir, I have to assume that any order given during a Black Operation is lawful, or I wouldn't obey half of them"

"We both know this wasn't training exercise. It was a Black Op" Tony spoke up. Nathan remained silent.

"Yes Sir" another man, the Team's Chief Petty Officer, stepped forward.

"As you were Chief!" Nathan yelled at him.

"Sorry Boss, cant let you twist in the wind alone" the Chief relied. "I've been doing this longer than the Lieutenant, Sir. I should have known better"

"Yes you should have, Chief" Clark scolded him.

"Damn it, Chief. I said as you were!" Nathan yelled.

"Aye Sir" the Chief stepped back.

"Your adherence to your code of silence is admirable, Lieutenant" the General told Nathan. "But the horse is out of the barn, might as well tell me the rest" he advised the young Lieutenant.

"An oath is an oath, General. I don't take them lightly" Nathan replied.

"Many honorable men have perished on that sword, son" Wes cautioned him.

"So be it, Sir" Nathan stood firm.

"It was a drug interdiction mission, Sir" said Ensign Lovett as he stepped forward.

"As you were, Ensign!" Nathan yelled. Lovett stepped back and another man, a Petty Officer, stepped forward.

"Into Kiribati, Sir" the man said before stepping back.

"Are you all fucking deaf?!" Nathan yelled.

"What was Lieutenant Warren's role in the mission?" Tony asked. Nathan stood silently for a few moments under the death glare of General Clark before answering.

"He was to fly out a plane that intelligence said would be there" Nathan finally gave up. "I guess the idea was to show the drug runners that their planes aren't safe, even in their own backyard"

"They're backyard?" Hollis spoke up.

"After Escobar's death in '92, Columbia wasn't as safe as it used to be for the cocaine lords. They began using smaller island nations as their bases of operation" Tony said. "Kiribati is made up of 21 Coral islands, many of them uninhabited, making it perfect for smuggling. And the main island offers transport to Hawaii. It's just over 3 hours flight time to the islands. Once they one US territory, getting it to the mainland is easy" Tony said. "Why didn't you just get a pilot that was HALO qualified?" he asked.

"General Banke changed the method of insertion from a 30-30 to a HALO, 2 hours before launch" Nathan said. "Sir, it's no excuse, but Lieutenant Warren reasoned that if he could eject from 35,000, why couldn't he jump? I agreed. I thought his only problem might be landing in water with all the gear we carry, so we each took some of his load. He only jumped with his suit, chute and O2 bottle" Nathan said.

"Why would General Banke intentionally sabotage his own mission?" Hollis asked.

"Nathan, are any of your men qualified pilots?" Tony asked.

"No" Nathan said.

"Then without Lieutenant Warren, the SEALs wouldn't be able to get the plane home" Tony figured. "For whatever reason, General Banke didn't want that plane back on US soil" he added.

"Lieutenant, keep your men here until I return. DiNozzo, with me. We're gonna pay a visit to General Banke" ordered General Clark.

 **1935 hours local time, 8 June 2003, Joint Special Operations Command Southwest Headquarters, Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Pearl Harbor Hawaii.**

"Ten-hut" someone yelled as General Clark and Tony entered the Operations Center. The General walked over to a Captain, who seemed to be the senior man in the room.

"Inform General Banke that General Clark would like to see him" the General barked at the young captain.

"I'm sorry, Sir, but the General isn't here" the Captain replied.

"Well where is he?" he asked.

"I'm sorry, sir, but I'm not at liberty to say"

"You're at liberty?"

"Will all due respect, Sir, if I were to tell you, I would be in direct contradiction with a direct order from a superior officer"

"What do you think these are?" Clark growled as he pointed to the 5 stars on each of his shoulders. "Son, before this is over, I'll have your bars" he told him. With that, the General stormed out, Tony following tight behind. Hollis and Jeanne were outside waiting for them.

"There's a mission on" Tony said.

"How can you tell?" Hollis asked.

"You can smell the adrenaline" answered the General. "DiNozzo!" he barked.

"Yes, General"

"I have little doubt that right now, General Banke is on his way to Kiribati. Do you concur?"

"Yes Sir"

"Good. I want you to find out why General Banke didn't want Lieutenant Warren flying that plane out of Kiribati" Clark ordered.

"Yes Sir, how sir?" he asked.

"HALO jump with the SEALs, fetch it on back" he said.

"Yes Sir" Tony grinned.

 **0900 hours local time, 9 June 2003, Ar-Rutbah, Iraq.**

It was early the next morning when Three arrived at the forward most US positions in Western Iraq, outside of the village of Ar-Rutbah. The men of Delta Company, 1st Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment were the spearhead of Operation Desert Comet. Despite still being over 150 miles from Ramadi, the men under the command of 1st Lieutenant Tilden Hagan would be leading way once the orders were given.

"Thanks for the lift" Three said to the driver as he grabbed his rifle and jumped out. He had left his personal gear back in Kuwait; he didn't want to waste anytime carrying it when the orders came in. Three removed his helmet and strapped it to his web gear, slipping on his patrol cap instead. "Son, where can I find the CO?" he asked a Private who wear cleaning his rifle. The Private pointed over to a small camo-netted CP. "Thanks" Three said as he slung his rifle over his shoulder.

"Lieutenant, I want patrols and the sentries doubled" said 1st Lieutenant Hagan to one of his Platoon leaders.

"But sir, what about snipers?" the 2nd Lieutenant asked.

"Chance we'll have to take" Tilden replied. "We are the Vanguard of this Army, and it's our job to know what's out there" he added. "Dismissed". The younger Lieutenant saluted and ran off as Three stepped into the CP, removing his patrol cap and aviators as he did.

"Staff Sergeant Anthony DiNozzo, reporting in" Three said as he saluted.

"I was told to expect someone" Tilden said as he returned the salute. Three reached into his breast pocket and pulled out his orders. "So what happened? Draw the short straw?" he smiled as he unfolded the orders and read them over.

"I was "volunteered"" Three explained.

"Funny how that works out" Hagan grinned. "Your orders are open ended" he observed.

"Yes Sir. Colonel Colleton wants to be able to recall me should the situation arise" Three said.

"How's your old man?"

"I wouldn't know" Three replied as he took a seat on some sandbags, leaning his rifle next to him. "He works for NCIS now"

"He's out!?" Tilden was shocked.

"A month now"

"They kicked him out?"

"He was asked not to come back"

"Ahh" Hagan nodded. "Back where I come from, we call that getting canned"

"I think everyone calls that getting canned" Three grinned.

"It's a damn shame" Tilden said. "The Lieutenant Colonel was one hell of a soldier"

"He sure was" Three nodded.

"Answer me something"

"Sure" Three shrugged.

"Is it true that you're Harry Truman's Great-Great Grandson?" he asked.

"No" Three shook his head. "I hadn't thought that old rumor would've gone far" he added.

"You're your father's son" Tilden pointed out.

"Don't I know it" Three said calmly as he lit up a cigarette. He held the pack out to the LT, but he waived him off. "You ever wonder how we're all gonna be remembered? How this'll all play out?" he asked as he blew out a puff of smoke while he tucked the pack of cigarettes back into his breast pocket.

"I try not to think about stuff like that" Tilden spoke candidly. "Keep your head in the game, Staff Sergeant"

"Yes Sir" Three said.

"Any idea on when this show kicks off?"

"Just the same scuttlebutt everybody else has heard. Sometime in late June"

 **0015 hours local time, 9 June 2003, 35,000 feet AGL over the Pacific Ocean.**

"Ya know, the Congresswoman is still gonna try and blame this on the SEALs" Tony yelled to the General as he checked his chute.

"Aw hell, like your daddy is so kind of saying, fuck 'em" the General grinned as his uniform jacket hung open, revealing a shoulder holster. "I just wish I was going with ya" he added.

"Will all due respect General, aren't you just, a little too old for this shit" Tony grinned.

"I can take you anytime, anywhere, DiNozzo" Clark jabbed his finger into Tony's chest.

"2 minutes!" Nathan yelled. Tony quickly strapped on his gear as the ramp lowered.

"Good luck!" the General yelled as the ramp lowered and Nathan began a countdown from 10.

"5…4…3…2…1...Go go go!" Nathan yelled as they all stepped out into the night.

 **0045 hours local time, 9 June 2003, Tabuaeran Island, Kiribati.**

Once on the ground, Tony quickly shed his chute and unslung his rifle. Once he regrouped with the SEALs, they cautiously proceeded towards the airstrip. "The Island is supposed to be uninhabited, so anybody we run into is liable to be hostile" Tony said as he flicked the safety off his M-4.

"Good to know" Nathan nodded. When they reached the airstrip, they found it mostly deserted. "The cocaine plane must be gone" Nathan said as he handed Tony his night vision scope. "The only thing left is that old C-47"

"Unless that's it Tony said. "In the late '80s, I did some wet work for the CIA, running guns into Afghanistan. The Soviets were looking for anything fancy, so I used a fleet of old C-47s, slipped right past em" Tony said.

"That doesn't make sense, the Cartels fly those big Russian Antonovs, not some World War II hunk of junk" Nathan whispered.

"Either way, that's our ticket home" Tony informed him.

"Even if those engines do fire up, they'll be so loud they'll wake the dead" Nathan said.

"Then I'll wait until you set off your fireworks. If we're lucky, that'll cover the sound of the engines. If not, oh well, they'll be dead anyway" Tony shrugged.

"Ensign, accompany the Special Agent"

"Aye Sir" Brody nodded.

As Nathan and his men set the explosives, Tony and Ensign Lovett moved on the plane. Tony pulled down the ramp and quickly moved inside. What they found, shocked them. "What the hell is this, Sir?" asked the Ensign.

"It looks like an AWACS setup" Tony said as he shined his flashlight. "These assholes must use it to slip past our Navy and Coast Guard intercepts. Makes sense, with everyone thinking the cartels have the money for the biggest and the best, who'd suspect a piece of shit like this" he added as he looked over the gear. "Hey, look at this" Tony shinned the light. "This equipment is US Air Force issue, straight from Hickam" he read. "That's why Banke didn't want this flown out of here, he sold the rig to the cartels" he said. "Ok, come on" he said as he moved into the cockpit.

About a minute later, Nathan blew the charges, and Tony fired up the engines. "Come on, come on" Tony yelled as the fought with the engines. "Let's go, let's go!" Tony yelled. The SEALs quickly climbed aboard as the plane began taking fire.

"Let's go!" Nathan yelled as he joined Tony in the cockpit. Tony got the plane moving as 2 trucks came up behind them. The trucks chased the plane as it taxied down the runway. "We're running out of runway!" he yelled.

"Then we better fly!" Tony yelled as he pulled back on the wheel. The plane slowly lifted off and buzzed the trees as it soared. "Yahoo!" Tony yelled as they soared into the night sky.

 **0430 hours local time, 9 June 2003, Ford Island, Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.**

When Tony touched the plane down on Ford Island, he found Dr. Benoit, Hollis and General Clark waiting for him. After killing the engine, he made sure that Hollis got everything she would need to make a case against General Banke. "Well I'll be damned" said General Clark as he looked over AWACS setup inside the plane.

"Who knows how many thousands of pounds of coke and junk the Cartels have flown in with this thing" Tony said.

"Well, the General will get his day in court, that's for sure" Hollis said.

"DiNozzo, walk with me" said the General as he stepped back onto the tarmac. Once they were out of earshot, the General spoke briefly. "I need something taken care of"

"Who?" Tony asked, seeing right through the thinly veiled double-talk.

"Alberte Clarke" Wes told his nephew. "He's become a problem we can no longer afford"

"If Clarke goes down, the Canadian Government would be in turmoil. The Quebecois would likely move use the situation to its advantage, and move into the Eastern Territories"

"Imagine that" Wes grinned.

"I don't like do the dirty work of other countries" Tony said as he lit up a cigar. "Not unless there is something in it for me"

"The Quebecois have no idea what we are planning" Wes said.

"So what brings this up then?" Tony asked. "I proposed taking out Clarke out 2 years ago; President Bush shot me down. So di McCain and so did Obama"

"This ain't coming from the President" Wes said. "This is coming from me"

"Any particular reason?" Tony asked.

"The CNP Government is teetering on the brink of collapse. With Clarke out of the way, it could full on collapse. Hopefully leading to a more sensible government"

"Regime Change"

"Exactly" Wes concurred.

"Eh, what the hell" Tony shrugged.

"You want back up?"

"No, I got someone" Tony said.

"Who?"

"I don't think it wise to answer that" Tony told him.

"Fine" Wes nodded. "Just get it done"

"Right" Tony nodded. As the General walked away, Hollis walked over.

"What was all that about?" she asked.

"Nothing" Tony shook his head. "Don't worry about it" he added.

"We got everything we need to nail Banke. You wanna make the bust?"

"Nah, it's all yours Holl" Tony said. "I gotta go away for a few days" he said.

"Should I get the shovel?" she grinned.

"Drop it" Tony growled.

"Whatever it is you're doing, and believe me I do not want to know, just don't get caught" she cautioned him as he walked away.

 **1715 hours local time, 9 June 2003, Obama Family Estate, 41-505 Kalanianaole Highway, Waimanalo Beach, Oahu, Hawaii.**

The President's speech had gone off without a hitch. Sure, there had been an issue with the crowd signs, which had read "Obama for President". Meg hadn't given it a 2nd thought until Will McAvoy, the Communications Director, had decided to cross out the word "for" and wrote "is the" on each sign with a sharpie marker. The President had been introduced by his daughter, who despite only being 15, was quite the public speaker. The President had tried to keep the speech as brief as he could, and had avoided questions about the pending subpoenas from the Special Prosecutor. The crowd had been huge and they were getting non-stop coverage on all the major networks.

When she returned back to the Obama Estate, she found a familiar face waiting for her. "You missed a great event" she said as she walked over.

"I had other affairs to attend to" Tony said as he pushed himself away from the car he had been leaning on. "I actually gotta get going. I just stopped in to say goodbye"

"Doing Wes' dirty work again?" she grinned.

"I honestly don't what you're talking about" he said, keeping a stone face.

"Wow, even when you know I already know about it, you still try and protect my deniability" she said as she crossed her arms.

"Still don't know what you're talking about" Tony continued to tow the party line.

"Well, whatever you're doing, wherever you're going" she paused. "Be safe" she said. Tony gave her a warm hug and his trademark grin, his aviators hiding his eyes. He let her go and gave her a smile as he walked away back towards the Humvee he had liberated from Pearl. As he walked over, he flipped out his phone and quickly dialed.

" _Yes_ " a voice answered.

"It's me, meet me in Yellowknife, day after next" Tony ordered.

 **0520 hours local time, 10 June 2003, Liat DiNozzo's Apartment, Haifa, Israel.**

"Yes Sir" Austin said as he snapped his cellphone shut. Next to him, he heard a small moan. He glanced over a Liat snuggled up next to him.

"Who was that _ahuvi_?" she asked.

"Field Marshall Ben-Gidon" he lied. "I need to go" he said as he sat up.

 **PLEASE REVIEW**

 **(Three's Voice)- Next time on "28 Seconds: Blood & Iron"-**

 **In a whirlwind chapter, Tony makes his way from Yellowknife, to Port Charles, to New York, to Washington. In the Middle East, Chester, Tali & Zander work to locate a Chemical Weapons Lab. Meanwhile, Three reunites with his Uncle Dante. Finally, Operation Desert Comet kicks off. **

**A/N- Sorry this took so long, I was suffering from some serious writers block.**


	3. A New Life: Part III

**Chapter 3**

 **A New Life: Part III**

 **0815 hours local time, 12 June 2003, Yellowknife, Federated Socialist Republic of Canada.**

In a desperate attempt to hold onto power, Canada "President-for-Life", Alberte Clarke, had renamed Canada and reformed it's government into a neo-socialist state; one that resembled the Milosevic Government in FR Yugoslavia. Yet despite the reforms, the Canadian National Party's Government was on the brink of collapse. The Eastern territories of Newfoundland & Labrador, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia were ripe for invasion from the powerful, US-backed Quebecois National Army. Meanwhile, in the west, the CNP's purges and "ethnic cleansing" had left the country internally crippled. Non-CNP Guards military units were suffering from mass desertion and a famine had decimated the countryside, leaving hundreds of thousands, if not millions dead. Due to the propaganda machine of the Canadian National Party, very little information came in or out of Canada, especially after they had sealed the borders with the United States. It was the opinion and hope General of the Army Wesley Clark, and White House Chief of Staff Meg Martin that "cutting off the head of the snake", so to speak, would be the straw that broke the camel's back.

That's where Tony came in. Despite no longer being in the military, Tony was still the best weapon in the US Government's arsenal. Both General Clark and Meg were under the impression that Tony would be handling the job alone; which was exactly what he wanted them to think. In reality, Tony had brought along the ace up his sleeve: Austin. US Army 2nd Lieutenant Austin Joseph "AJ" Kearns was the Unit's undercover operative inside the Mossad. He had been recruited by Tony when he was still the Delta Force's XO, and even through Tony now worked for NCIS; AJ was still undercover, reporting only to Tony.

"So what happens if you get killed or something?" Austin asked as they finished setting up.

"Remember what I told you. Stash some money somewhere so you can die someplace warm" Tony said.

"Will this work?" he asked, getting back to the task at hand.

"Yes" Tony said confidently. "You said you the guy that Mossad sent to protect Clarke?"

"Adam Weiss" Austin said.

"He any good?"

"No"

"Rule 9: Never underestimate your enemies desire to kill you"

"I don't underestimate his desire. If anything I'm overestimating his intelligence" AJ said. "Ok, well I recognize the 1st part; I think I saw it in the movie once"

"You did" Tony confirmed. ""The Jackal", Bruce Willis, Richard Gere, 1997" he said.

"An Oerlikon 20mm, mounted in a van across the street from the platform" AJ observed. "You do remember that in the movie, it didn't work" he added.

"I'm not planning it on working" Tony said. "That's why it's just part of the plan" he said. "Ok, charges are set"

"Charges set" AJ confirmed.

"Let's move" Tony ordered.

 **2 hours later…**

A crowd had gathered as Alberte's Clarke's convoy approached. Severing as a bodyguard was Mossad Officer Adam Weiss, a newly-minted member of the Kidon. To him, this was just another mission he had been ordered on, and an order must always be followed; a very ironic coda indeed. As the convoy pulled up, Officer Weiss got out of the Mercedes sedan, slamming his door shut before pulling open the general's door. The aging general stepped out of the car, and surrounded by a group of Canadian National Party Guards, walked towards the stage. Adam followed closely behind, carefully watching the surroundings. Clarke began his speech to party supports and Weiss remained off stage.

Clarke was a few minutes into his speech, when Weiss noticed something. It was a red minivan, parked across the street. But something was funny, the back window was missing. Adam's hand instinctively dropped to his sidearm as he took a few steps closer, but it was too late. A second later, a 20mm cannon that had been setup inside the van, began spraying both the crowd and the stage. Adam hit the dirt, but then quickly got to his feet. He sprinted to the stage, pulling the general off, past 2 guards who had fallen victim to the cannon. As they moved back towards the cars, an explosion was triggered from the manhole cover that the car was parked over. Flames engulfed the black sedan, lifting it off the ground. Adam reacted quickly and pushed the general into a nearby building.

Watching the events unfold, were Tony and AJ. "He's in the building" AJ observed.

"Ok, let's move" Tony said.

"Activate the explosives" he ordered. AJ quickly punched in the code.

"90" seconds he said as he grabbed his SR-25 Sniper rifle.

Meanwhile, Officer Weiss and the remaining CNP Guards moved through back alleys as military units flooded the area. Not knowing if the assassination attempt was the result of outside forces, an attempted coup, or both, he didn't know who he could trust. But what Officer Weiss didn't know, was that he was being watched… from above.

"I have a visual on the targets" AJ said as he held the rifle to his shoulder.

"Easy there, kiddo" Tony replied over the comms from an adjacent rooftop. "They're walking right into us"

"Colonel, if we don't move now…"

"I ain't a colonel anymore" Tony grinned as he pressed the detonator. Explosions began going off on either side of the group, killing a couple of more guards. The group began moving more quickly, towards the nearest street. "Bingo" Tony grinned. When the group reached the street, Tony tripped the pop-up mines he had planted, some modern day versions of the old bouncing Betties. Officer Weiss was quick enough to react, knocking the general to the ground. The others weren't so lucky, as ball bearings tore through then, turning them into Swiss cheese. With only himself remaining, Officer Weiss grabbed the President by the collar, dragged them to his feet and got him moving.

"He's moving" AJ said as raised his rifle.

"I got him" Tony replied as he flicked the safety off of his L-96 sniper rifle. The round erupted from the barrel, perfect trajectory. "Boom" Tony mouthed as the round slammed into the back of the General's head, sending him to the ground. Officer Weiss stopped in his tracks and stared at the general's dead body. Tony worked the bolt, ejecting the spent round as he took careful aim at Officer Weiss. Tony took a breath and then lowered the rifle. "AJ" he said into his comms.

"Yes Sir" he replied.

"Take care of it" Tony said.

"Yes Sir" AJ replied. "What about the rest of the CNP Government?"

"Don't worry about it, I'll take care of it" Tony said.

 **0615 hours, 13 June 2003, Pier 54, Port Charles Harbor, Port Charles, New York.**

It had been less than 24 hours, but the predictions made by Meg and Wes Clark had already proven true. Quebecois Air Force Units were already taking out key radar and air defense instillations in Newfoundland & Labrador in preparation for what Tony knew would be the follow on invasion. With the help of the very same QAF, Tony had hitched a ride to QAF Eastmain, the main Quebecois Naval Base on the Hudson Bay. From there, he took a seaplane to Port Charles.

Tony walked up the stairs to the street and made his way down to Kelly's, the waterfront diner that was owned by his father's right-hand man in Port Charles, Jason Morgan. As he walked up, he noticed several "Quartermaine for Congress" signs in the window. Tony chuckled to himself as he walked inside. He smiled to the teenage girl behind the counter as he walked up and took a seat on one of the stools.

"Hey Uncle Tony" the girl grinned.

"Morning Alex" he smiled as she poured him a cup of coffee. "AJ and Liz in yet?" he asked.

"Not yet, but they should be in soon" she said. Tony nodded as he took a sip of his coffee.

"You studying up for your finals?" he asked.

"Yep" she said as she held up her American history textbook. "My dad's been helping me" she said.

"Well, with all due respect to Jason" he said as he grabbed the book. "I'm the one with a Masters in History" he said.

"Military History" Alex clarified.

"Smartass" Tony grinned as he flipped through the book. "Who said, "you shall not crucify humanity upon a cross of gold" he asked.

"William Jennings Bryan; 1896 Democratic Convention" she said.

"And what was the speech in reference to?"

"The abolition of the gold standard in favor of the coinage of silver, at 1/16 value" she said. Tony nodded his approval. This questioning continued through several cups of coffee until AJ and Liz arrived.

"Leave the poor girl alone, Tony" Liz called out as she and AJ took their seats.

"I'm helping her study" he called back.

"A lecture on tactics and strategy used by the Russian Imperial Army at the Battle of Tannenberg is not relevant in anyway to US History" AJ told him.

"Says you" Tony retorted as he stood up to join them.

"What are you doing in town?" AJ asked. "I thought you were in Honolulu investing the death of that SEAL"

"He was a Naval Aviator" Tony said. "And I thought I swing by and write you're campaign a hefty check" he gave a cocky smile. "There's just one problem"

"You don't have your check book, do you?" Liz asked, resting her chin in her hand as she grinned.

"I do not" Tony confirmed.

"So then why are you in town?" AJ asked.

"Hey, where are the kids?" Tony.

"With you're mother, now answer the question" Liz told him.

"Since when is my mother, your babysitter?" he asked.

"Why are you ducking my question?" Liz asked. "Does this have something to do with what's going on up north?" she asked.

"Drop it, Liz" Tony shot her a look as he sipped his coffee. "How's the primary going?" he asked.

"It's going" AJ said. "Spitzer's gonna endorse Lomax" he said.

"A liberal endorsing a liberal, no surprise there" Tony said. "Why did you decide to run as a Democrat, anyway?"

"Because I am a Democrat" AJ said. "I've been a Democrat since I registered to vote when I was 18" he said.

"He didn't vote for the ACLU guy did he?" Tony turned to Liz.

"Who's the ACLU guy?" AJ looked puzzled.

"Dukakis" Liz translated. "Tony hates the ACLU so much that he won't speak the name of anyone they endorse"

"Fuckin' Commies" Tony growled.

"This is what I've been dealing with for 20 years" Liz grinned.

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't you vote for Gore 3 years ago?" AJ prodded.

"I did" Tony nodded. "For 2 reasons; one: Vice President is one of my father's oldest friends. And two: because I don't have a problem with the president being smart, unlike the rest of my party, who were offended b/c my Uncle actually used his intelligence" he said. "Once I get around to finding my checkbook, I'll be cutting you several hefty checks" he added.

"The limit is $2700 per person" AJ told him.

"$2700 from me and $2700 from Molly" he smiled. "And after the rest of my children write their checks, that's $16,200" Tony smiled. "Tea is also contacting several more donors. The Kennedys, Cuomos, etc."

"How many federal laws are you intent on breaking?" Liz asked.

"As many as I can get away with… and then some" he grinned. "The FBI, the Justice Department and Rudy Giuliani indicted my father on RICO violations 3 times" he said holding up 3 fingers. "They could never make 'em stick"

"He always was the _real_ "Teflon Don"" AJ quipped.

"I never liked my father's dealings with the Gotti Family" Tony said. "Never could trust those assholes"

"And now they're full of holes" Liz grinned.

"How's the family?' Tony asked, changing the subject.

"Eh" Liz shrugged. "Me and my sisters aren't speaking again" she said.

"And who initiated that?" Tony asked.

"Both sides" AJ said. "Zoey is dating some Belgian Royalty douche bag"

"Over my strong objections" Liz added.

"I can see you're setting into the role of Matriarch quite well" Tony threw in, his voice full of sarcasm. "Come to think of it, little Allen is the Aire now, right?"

"Yep" AJ nodded.

"The Aire to both the Quartermaine and McCain; boy is he in store for a fun life" he smiled.

"So how is the rest of DiNozzo Family fairing these days?" AJ asked. "Rex doing ok?" he asked.

"Yeah" Tony nodded.

"How long you in town?" Liz asked.

"A couple days I guess" Tony said.

"NCIS isn't expecting you back anytime soon?"

"Nah" Tony waived it off. "What about you, Madame Ambassador? Won't you be missed in Dublin?" he asked.

"I'm leaving tomorrow. I have a meeting with Blair Manning at the UN day after that, and then I have to brief the President that night before flying out" she said.

"You wanna lift?" he asked. "I'm headed that way"

"Road trip it is" she smiled.

 **1600 hours local time, 13 June 2003, Ar-Rutbah, Iraq.**

"Under the guidelines issued by General Morrell, Delta Company will advance in Humvees along Highway-1 towards Ramadi. We will be the forward recon. We find something we kill it" Lieutenant Hagan explained to his platoon leaders and platoon sergeants.

"The highway is solid concrete and asphalt, so there is little risk of standard anti-vehicle, anti-tank, or anti-personnel mines; however, we'll still need to keep a sharp eye out for IEDs" Three added. Despite placing a phone call to General Clark himself, Three was stuck with the Rangers for the time being.

"What about CAS?" asked one of the Lieutenants.

"CDS air units will continue round the clock raids against Iraqi targets as they have been doing. In terms of direct support, we'll have AH-64 Apache Gunships overhead" answered Lieutenant Hagan. "And let me add this" he paused. "I know that Staff Sergeant DiNozzo is junior in rank to most of you, but let me say this; he wears that blue rosette on his lapel for a reason. He's 20 years old, and in his 4 year in the service, he has seen more combat than most of you will see throughout your entire careers. He is very good at what he does. If he tells you to do something, you fucking do it" Tilden said. "Myself included" he added before giving a nod to Three, who had just lit up a cigarette.

"Thank you, Sir" Three returned the nod.

"Dismissed" Tilden sent them on their way. Once they others had cleared out, Three spoke again.

"Thanks for that" Three said, snapping his Zippo lighter shut.

"I know that you aren't thrilled about being stuck here. I know you rather be back with the rest of your team"

"Am I that obvious?" Three laughed, blowing smoke through his nose.

"Me and my men might be Rangers, but we still don't hold a candle to you Delta boys, that much I do know" Tilden spoke in his Carolinian twang.

"Don't sell yourself short" Three cut him off. "Both my father and I were Rangers before we made the jump. You fought alongside my father in Afghanistan, Liberia, Al-Zahedi, and god knows the Al-Rimam Valley" he paused. "It's my honor to fight alongside you" he nodded.

"An honor return" Tilden added.

"So, any news on when we're gonna kick this thing off?" he asked.

"June 22nd" the Lieutenant informed him.

 **1035 hours, 14 June 2003, I-87, 10 miles south of Albany, New York**

"June 22nd" Tony shook his head after Liz had passed on the news. "It's a bad omen"

"You don't really believe that old curse do you?" Liz asked. "That the humanity provoked the wrath of God by forcing Galileo to recant all of his teachings?"

"Well, I don't know about that, but since 1633, June 22nd has been a cursed day" he paused. "1807, the HMS Leopard attacks the USS Chesapeake, setting our two countries on a path towards the War of 1812. 1813, General Hull launches our invasion of Canada; he's repulsed inside of a year. 1918, a train derailment in Indiana kills 86, injures 127 more"

"And don't forget the " _Mano del Dio"_ in 1986" Liz jokingly cut him off.

"Oh shut up" Tony retorted. "In 1940, France capitulates to Germany, and exactly one year later…"

"Hitler invades Russia" Liz finished.

"But that isn't the scariest of the dates. In 1893, the British were conducting war games in the Mediterranean, they're 2 flagships, HMS Camperdown and HMS Victoria are lost after the two ships fired on each other in heavy fog" he said. "Admiral Tyson should have delayed the exercise, but chose not to, leading to the events of that day, including his own death. The executive officer of the Victoria was a man named Lieutenant Commander John Jellico. 22 years later, John Jellicoe is now Admiral Jellicoe, Admiral of the Fleet and Commander in Chief of the Royal Navy. Jellicoe was ordered to move the fleet into the North Sea for a surprise decisive action against the German High Seas Fleet. However, due to a similarly heavy fog that had spelled the doom of Admiral Sir George Tyson 22 years earlier, Jellicoe ordered his ships to remain in port, rather than risk moving them in such bad weather. Little did the Admiral know, but the Germans were aware of the plan. However, had Jellicoe left as originally planned, the German Fleet would not have been in a position to stop their British counterparts. However, the delay allowed Admiral von Tirpitz to dispatch Admirals Scheer and Hipper, giving them the time they needed to get into position. The result was the Battle of Jutland, the largest surface naval battle ever and since" he paused.

"The Battle of Jutland took place on May 31st and June 1st" Liz corrected him.

"But the events that culminated in that battle, were set in motion by the events of June 22nd, 1893" Tony said.

"Whatever you say, T" Liz shook her head. "Let me see your Colt" she said.

"Why?"

"Just gimme the damn thing" she said as she reached over and pulled it from its holster on his right hip. She pushed open the cylinder and dropped the .45 caliber bullets into her hand.

"Why are you unloading my gun?" Tony was really confused.

"I don't want it loaded while I inspect the hammer" she said. "Dr. Benoit called me…"

"Oh for fuck's sake"

"She's concerned about a patient with never damage using a single-action revolver" she said.

"That Colt has been in my family since 1873, when it was presented to my Great-Great-Great Grandfather, Lieutenant General George Washington Corinthos by President Ulysses S. Grant" he informed her. "I don't care what the good doctor has to say. I've carried that pistol since I was 21, and I will continue to do so as long as I see fit" he growled.

"Jeanne is concerned that you have to cock the hammer after each shot. If the nerve damage flairs up while you're using it…"

"Then I have this" he said as he took his right hand off the steering wheel and slightly slipped his Berretta Inox from the holster, before releasing it and letting it slid back into place.

"I think her point was…"

"I know what her point was" Tony said. "And it's been over a year since anything's acted up. I'll be fine" he said.

"She's worried about you Tony; and so am I" she said as she reloaded the pistol, spun the cylinder and snapped it shut. Tony took it back from her and slipped back into his holster.

"Well, don't be" he said.

"Ok, ok" she repeated as she held up her hands. "So how's business going?" she asked.

"After closing the Warren case, I'm 10 for 10" he grinned.

"That's not what I meant and you know it" she said. "Someone took out Alberte Clarke yesterday morning" she said. "You wouldn't know anything about that now would you?"

"Nope" Tony replied, almost immediately.

"Really?" Liz gave him a look.

"Madame Ambassador, I think it best if you don't ask anything further" he replied. Liz knew when to take a hint and quickly changed the subject.

"George Corinthos" she said. "He was the one that threw John C. Calhoun off a cliff, wasn't he?"

"Yep" Tony nodded. "In self-defense of course"

"Naturally" Liz grinned.

"No, really" Tony said, kicking off a whole new argument.

 **1900 hours local time, 14 June 2003, Iraqi Desert, Iraq.**

"So what the hell are we looking for?" Zander asked.

"You remember when we overran Basra and took out their SCUD launchers?" Chester said as he surveyed the landscape through his binoculars.

"Yeah, so what?" Zander replied.

"Well, now we're gonna go after the lab that made the shit they had stuffed in those missiles" he said as he lowered the binoculars. As he did, Tali came running back over.

"It looks clear ahead" she told them.

"It's still nearly 100 klicks to where the target is supposed to be" Chester said.

"Then we best get a move on" Tali said. "We have a week to find this place, blow it up and get back to our lines before Desert Comet kicks off"

"Thank you Captain Obvious" Chester said. "Let's move" he added.

 **1930 hours local time, 14 June 2003, Ar-Rutbah, Iraq.**

"They're here" someone yelled. Three looked over his shoulder and saw a column of trucks driving up the road towards their camp.

"Tell me again why they're here" Three said to Lieutenant Hagan.

"They're serving as the infantry support to the armor that supposed to follow behind us" said the Lieutenant he said as the first trucks pulled up and members of the 506th PIR, 101st Airborne jumped out. "Isn't you're Uncle with the 506th?" the Lieutenant asked.

"Yeah" Three nodded.

"And you're 2 years older than he is?"

"Yep" Three nodded again. "Dante's younger brothers, Michael and Morgan, are 14 & 10 respectively. Let that whirl around up there for a little bit" Three grinned.

"I'd rather not" Tilden chuckled. "A lot of these guys are replacements for the men we lost at Al-Rimam…"

"Which means there as green as the leaves on the trees" Three said. "I hate using green troops" he muttered.

"Yeah, well at least they're well trained" Tilden quipped. "During the Vietnam War, they were sending guys straight in right out of boot camp. So I've been told anyway"

"Oh believe me, it's true" Three said as he paused to light a cigarette. "I've heard the stories from my grandfather and his friends"

"You call them his friends, the rest of us call them General, Admiral, Senator, and oh yeah, Mr. Vice President" Tilden grinned.

"Uncle Al would have made a hell of a President" Three grinned, the cigarette hanging from his lip.

"My mama campaign for him" Tilden nodded. "Come on, let's get the Sky Train Boys settled"

"Aye!" Three shot him a look.

"Sorry" Lieutenant Hagan grinned.

 **1330 hours, 14 June 2003, NYPD SIU (Special Investigation Unit) Headquarters, Brooklyn Navy Yard, Brooklyn, New York City, New York.**

After dropping Liz off at the UN to meet with Blair Manning, Tony decided to drop in and may a visit to him eldest daughter, Erica Jane. The SIU's Headquarters was situated inside the old Brooklyn Navy Yard, well disguised to the outside world as an abandoned warehouse. Whoever had come up with this idea had had a stroke of genius, one Tony noted was worth copying.

Meanwhile, inside the building, Chief of Department Frank Reagan, the number 2 man in the NYPD, was introducing the new SIU Commander: Captain Thomas Connolly. All the members of SIU were listening to the Chief that they didn't notice when Tony's Mustang pulled up outside. The lack of external security however, was not lost on Tony. He shook his head as he slipped inside. The SIU motor pool and weapons cage was located on the ground floor, bellow the offices above. Tony quickly found the stairs and made his way up. Captain Connolly's little ceremony was breaking up as Tony reached the top of the stairs. Several officers walked past him, not recognizing him. he grinned as he caught his daughter's eye.

"Hey" she grinned as she hurried over. Tony enveloped her in a warm hug, giving her a tight squeeze.

"How ya doin, Pumpkin?" he asked as he kissed her forehead.

"I'm doing ok" she said as she showed him to her desk. "John, you've met my father, right?"

"Good to see you again, Colonel" said Detective John McBain, EJ's partner, as he held out his hand.

"Tony's fine" he said as he gripped the detective's hand. "Nice setup you got here" he said.

"It works for us" EJ admitted. Tony's darted to the side as he saw a familiar face approaching.

"What's Connolly doing here?" he asked.

"He's our new CO" EJ said. "You know him?" she asked. Tony never got the chance to respond.

"Tony DiNozzo" Connolly gritted his teeth as he walked over.

"Detective Connolly, it's been too long" Tony said.

"It's Captain Connolly now, actually" he corrected him.

"Well congratulations" Tony told him, his voice full of sarcasm.

"Problems, Captain?" asked Chief Reagan as he walked over.

"Chief, allow me to introduce you to Tony DiNozzo" Connolly spoke up. "He's the Underboss of the Corinthos Crime Family"

"You give me too much credit, Tommy boy" Tony grinned. "How's it goin, Frank?" Tony said as he extended his hand.

"Tony" the Chief nodded as he shook his hand. "How's your old man?" he asked.

"He's doin just fine, Sir. I'll make sure and tell em you asked" Tony smiled.

"You two know each other?" Captain Connolly asked.

"His father and I chewed some of the same dirt in Vietnam" explained Chief Reagan.

"That they did" Tony nodded. "I was sorry to hear about Mrs. Reagan's passing" he added.

"I got the flowers your wife sent, they were her favorite" the Chief smiled.

"But Sir, you wife is still alive" said Captain Connolly.

"The Mrs. Reagan, Colonel DiNozzo was referring to is my mother" said the Chief.

"Actually, it isn't Colonel DiNozzo anymore" Tony said as he pulled back his jacket, revealing his badge, which hung from his belt. "Supervisory Special Agent, NCIS" he said.

"The Army finally wise up and kick you to the curb?" Frank grinned.

"Oh, I left on my own accord. I was just asked not to come back" he added. "After I left, an old friend offered me a job, and I took it" he said.

"Well good luck, Tony" the Chief said as he and Tony shook hands again.

"Thank you, Sir" Tony nodded. After the Chief and his entourage took their leave, Tony turned back to his daughter.

"So you know the Chief of Department?" she asked.

"Of course" Tony said. "The man wasn't lying, he and your grandfather crossed paths a whole bunch of times back in 'Nam" he added.

"So you're really out of the Army?" she asked.

"Yep" Tony nodded.

"Why is this the first I'm hearing of it?" she put her hands on her hips.

"Long story" Tony said. "Hey John, you mind if I steal your partner for a few minutes?" he asked.

"Fine by me" John shrugged.

"Let's take a walk" he said, putting a hand on his daughter's shoulder.

"So that's it" Tony said as he and his eldest daughter walked along outside SIU HQ. he had taken the time to tell her everything; from Paraguay to Hawaii to now.

"So NCIS, huh?" she asked.

"Yeah" Tony shrugged. "What can I say, the Gunny offered me a job, and I took it"

"So where are you staying?"

"Your Grandfather's place in Virginia, at least until I find someplace permanent"

"Dad, you're too old to be crashing on Grandpa Sonny's couch" she said. "Why don't you stay with Rex, or with Mom?"

"You're mother is divorcing me, and you know that" Tony said. "And between Rex and little John, there ain't room for me"

"Well, if you don't mind catching the 5am shuttle every morning, you can stay with me, I have the room" she said.

"Very funny" Tony chuckled. "I've got a few leads"

"So, if you're working for NCIS, what the hell are you doing up here in New York?" EJ asked.

"I was up in Port Charles, and I gave your Aunt Liz a ride down to the UN. We're driving down to DC tonight" he replied. They talked for a little while longer as EJ walked her father back to his car. "Oh, and by the way, don't forget to cut a check to your Uncle's campaign"

"It's already in the mail" Erica Jane smiled.

"Good girl" Tony smiled as he pulled his eldest into a warm hug. " _Te amo, mi hija"_ he whispered as he kissed her on the forehead. "You ever need to talk, I'm only a phone call away" he said.

"I know" Erica smiled. "Stay safe Dad" she said.

"What fun would that be?" Tony grinned as he slammed the door shut and fired up the engine. He revved it a few times, spun the tires, and sped off, leaving a smiling Erica Jane in his dust.

 **0100 hours local time, 15 June 2003, Alexandria, Iraq.**

"Well there it is" said Zander as he peered through his scope. "Alexandria" he said. "Hey Tali"

"Yeah?"

"How many of these places did King Alexander name after himself anyway?" he asked.

"A handful, maybe 20" Tali said.

"Some ego" Zander commented.

"You ain't kidding" Tali said.

"Cut the chit-chat, both of ya" Chester ordered. "We're less than 50 klicks from Baghdad. A hole ton of shit's gonna fall on our heads if we get caught here" he said.

"Seems simple enough" Tali said. "Zander takes out the perimeter guards with the Barrett; I take out the ones inside the perimeter myself. Zander provides overwatch and I cover your back while you plant the explosives"

"What are we using anyway?" Zander asked.

"Several incendiary devices" Chester said. "When we blow the tanks, we need to make sure that their contents go up with 'em" he said.

"Then let's get cracking" Zander said as he removed the muzzle break from the barrel of his sniper rifle and screwed on the silencer. "Tally ho" he grinned.

Minutes later, Chester and Tali were in position. " _Razor, Cover Girl and I are in position. One your shot"_ Chester instructed.

"Copy that, Ironman" Zander replied as he flicked off the safety. Zander fired off several rounds, taking out just as many guards along the perimeter. He expended the 10-round clip, having eliminated a guard with each round. "You're clear" he said.

Chester and Tali quickly moved in. Tali, whose M4A1 was also silenced, moved in, killing both guards outside the entrance to the storage facility. "I got this" Tali said as she dropped down to one knee and took cover just inside the entrance. Chester nodded as he slung his M-16 across his back, drawing his M1911. he cocked the hammer as he quickly moved inside. Luckily, it was the dead of night, and inside of the facility was deserted. Chester quickly got to work planting the explosives. A couple of minutes later, he was finished. He made his way back out, where Tali were waiting.

"Timer's set, tick tock, let's move" he said. "Razor, we're exfilling now. Keep us covered" he ordered.

"Will do boss" Zander replied.

A few minutes later, they were back at het Humvee and on the move. "How long did you set the timers for?" Tali asked as she drove.

"20 minutes" Chester replied.

"Will we be far enough from the best when that place goes up?" Zander asked.

"We should be" Chester told them.

"I would feel a lot better about that if we we're within walking distance of Saddam's front door" Zander told him.

"We're over 500 klicks from Al-Rutbah, and that's with main roads, which we obviously cant take" Chester said.

"So where are going, Basra or Rutbah?" Tali asked.

"Our new offensive kicks off in a week from Rutbah" Chester said. "If we're careful enough, and really lucky, we can meet them outside of Ramadi"

"I'm in" Zander grinned.

"I'm sure you are" Chester said. "You're not the one I'm concerned about" he said as he looked over at Tali. "So how about it, Mommy? You up for it?" he asked. Tali grinned.

"Let's roll" she beamed.

 **0900 hours, 15 June 2003, Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia.**

" _In other news this morning, the body of United States Naval Aviator, Lieutenant Douglas Warren, the son of Massachusetts Congresswoman Elizabeth Warren, will be laid to rest today at Arlington National Cemetery. Lieutenant Warren was killed in a training exercise off the coast of Kiribati 10 days ago"_

Tony, dressed in a freshly pressed suit, his eyes shielded by dark sunglasses, stood off in the background as the missing man flight flew overhead, and the Congresswoman was presented with the American Flag that had been draped across her son's coffin. Even at what his mother called his "young age" of 34, Tony had been to way many of these funerals for someone his age. Tony remained stoic as he heard footsteps and saw a shadow on the ground approaching from behind him.

"I'm not used to seeing you dressed as a civvie" the woman, an Army Captain, said as she walked up next to him.

"Get used to it" Tony replied. "Shouldn't you be back with the 8063rd?" he asked.

"I asked for permission to stay on until Lieutenant Warren was laid to rest" she told him.

"Well, without your help, we never would have figured out who killed him" Tony told her. "You'd make one hell of a M.E., Captain Benoit" he said.

"And without you, we never would have gotten justice for the Lieutenant" Jeanne replied. "You mind if I ask you something personal?" she asked as they began to walk away.

"Why not, shoot" he told her.

"Why NCIS?" she asked. Tony paused, trying to think of how best to answer her question.

"I've been killing people for nearly half my life; since I was 18 years old, running guns into Afghanistan for my father" he began. "In that time span, I've killed a lot of people. A lot of them were really bad people. Others were enemy soldiers, who were also trying to kill me, or would have tried to kill me, had they been given the chance. And then there were some who weren't so bad; some who were just in the wrong place at the wrong time"

"That's war" Jeanne said.

"Yeah well, you asked why I joined up with NCIS" he paused. "Well, I figure that if I can help as many people as I've hurt, then maybe it'll all balance out in the end" he said.

"Some sort of Karmic balance sheet?" Jeanne joked. "Well, no matter what it is, I'd like to help you do it" she said.

"Thanks" Tony smiled.

"Good luck Agent DiNozzo" she said as they shook hands.

"You too Captain Benoit" he replied as they parted ways.

 **One Week Later- 0425 hours local time, 22 June 2003, Ar-Rutbah, Iraq.**

"5 mikes" Three said as he checked his watch for the umpteenth time.

"Gather 'em round, Staff Sergeant" order 1st Lieutenant Hagan.

"Yes Sir" Three said. "Delta Company, form up!" he yelled. As the men were already with their vehicles, they were quick to assemble. "Delta Company assembled, Sir" he told his superior.

"Thank you, Staff Sergeant" Tilden replied as he stepped forward.

"Company, A-ten-hut!" Three yelled. the men instantly snapped to attention. Tilden then stepped forward, his rifle slung over his shoulder.

"We are here in Iraq to liberate and not to conquer. We are entering Iraq to free a people- show respect for them.

There are some who are alive at this moment, who will not be alive shortly. Those who do not wish to go on that journey, we will not send; as for the others, I expect you to rock their world. Wipe them out if that is what they choose. But if you are ferocious in battle, remember to be magnanimous in victory.

Iraq is steeped in history; it is the site of the Garden of Eden, of the Great Flood and the birthplace of Abraham. You tread…you tread lightly there.

In the near future you will see things that no man could pay to see, and you will have to go a long way to meet a more decent, generous and upright people than the Iraqis. You will be embarrassed by the hospitality they will offer you, even though they have nothing. Don't treat them as refugees in their own country. Their children will be poor. In years to come they will know that the light of liberation in their lives was brought by you.

If there are casualties of war, then remember that when they got up this morning and got dressed they did not plan to die this day. Allow them dignity in death. Bury them with due reverence and properly mark their graves.

It remains my foremost intention to bring every single one of you out alive. But there may be those among us who will not see the end of this campaign. We will put them in their sleeping bags and send them back. There will be no time for sorrow.

The enemy should be in no doubt that we are his Nemesis and we are bringing about his rightful destruction. There are many regional commanders who have stains on their souls and they are stoking the fires of Hell for Saddam. He and his forces will be destroyed for what they have done to their people. As they die, they will know that it is their deeds that have brought them to this place. Show them no pity. And for those of you who do not yet know, it is a big step to take another human life. It is not to be done lightly. I know of men who have taken life needlessly in other conflicts. I can assure you that they live with the mark of Cain upon them.

If someone surrenders to you, remember that they have that right in international law, and ensure that one day they go home to their family. The ones who wish to fight … well, we aim to please. Remember, however, that if you harm your regiment or its history by over-enthusiasm in killing, or cowardice, know that it is your family who will suffer. You will be shunned unless your conduct is of the highest order, for your deeds will follow you down through history. We will bring shame on neither our uniforms nor our nation.

As for chemical and biological weapons, I believe the threat is very real. We know that the order to use these weapons has been delegated down to regional commanders. That means he has already taken the decision to use them. Therefore it is not a question of if; it is a question of when they attempt this. If we survive the first strike, we will survive the attack.

As for ourselves, let's bring everyone home safely and leave Iraq a better place for us having been there. Our business now, is east, in Baghdad. Good luck, gentlemen. Sua Sponte"

With that, Tilden nodded to Three. "Alright, lock and load, and mount up" Three yelled as he pulled back on the slide of his M4A1. as the Rangers mounted up in their Humvees, the low rumble of artillery could be heard in the distance. Three climbed into the lead Humvee, sitting behind the Lieutenant. "All set, Sir"

"Let's Roll!" Lieutenant Hagan ordered.

 **PLEASE REVIEW!**

 **(Jeanne's Voice)- Next time on "28 Seconds: Blood & Iron"- **

**In Washington, Meg and Stephanie put a plan in motion to undermine the Special Prosecutor. In Iraq, Three and Lieutenant Hagan lead the advance towards Ramadi. And at NCIS, Tony is saddled with… wait for it… a Probie!**

 **A/N- I apologize for this update taking so god damn long. The work load has been killer this semester, but now that it's winding down, I'm going to try and update more often. Feel free to PM me anytime, I love hearing from you guys**


	4. The Curse of June 22nd

**Chapter 4**

 **The Curse of June 22**

 **0600 hours local time, 22 June 2003, Route 11, Western Iraqi Desert, Iraq**

In the hour and a half since they had set off, Delta Company had advanced approximately 60 klicks east. Their current objective was an overpass where Route 1 passed over Route 11. They were less than 1 klick from the target when Lieutenant Hagan broke radio silence. "All Delta units, this is Delta 1, were are less than 1 klick from target. Be advised, we are on our own until we link up with the British Armor coming down Route 1. Also, there has been a change to the ROE, all persons carry weapons are now considered hostile" he said.

"About damn time" Three added, said from the back.

"Comment, Staff Sergeant?" Tilden grinned.

"Just eager to finish what my old man started 12 years ago, Lieutenant" Three replied.

"We sure as shit intend to" Tilden told him.

"I just wish it wasn't today" Three added.

"Why is that?"

"The Curse of June 22nd" Three said, before taking the next several minutes explaining all the really bad shit that had gone down on previous June 22nds. "Something bad's gonna happen, you wait 'n see" he said ominously.

A few minutes later, they reached the overpass, finding it undefended. "Ok, I want 1st up top, 3rd below. Hold 2nd & 4th at a distance" Tilden ordered as they approached. It took the Rangers only a few minutes to establish their roadblock below the overpass. It took a little bit longer for 1st platoon to get setup above them. Three remained close to Lieutenant Hagan, who was had joined 1st platoon above.

"So good so far" spoke Sergeant Anthony Ramos, who commanded a squad in 1st platoon.

"It's been 11 minutes" Three said, his rifle in his arms. "If it stays this quiet until the armor arrives, then you can talk about how good it's been" he said.

"Movement right!" Someone yelled. Three quickly spun around and saw 2 vehicles moving down the highway towards them.

 _"Delta actual, this is Delta 4, we have 2 victors with armed personnel approaching your position form the east"_ squawked over Lieutenant Hagan's comms.

"Copy that, Delta 4, we see them" Tilden replied. "Corporal Perkins, Duncan, Lupo, Archer!" he yelled. The 4 men quickly moved and swung their heavy weapons towards the oncoming vehicles. "Do not fire until we verify" Tilden yelled. "They could be Peshmerga"

" _Delta actual, victors are marked by black circles with gold borders on the doors and the shooters are dressed in all white, armed with Ak-47s"_

"It's the Fedayeen!" Three yelled. "Fire, fire, fire!" he yelled. The Rangers didn't wait for Lieutenant Hagan to comment, and opened fire on the oncoming vehicles. A round from a Mark-19 Grenade Launcher flipped over one of the trucks, leaving the other one to withstand a hail of .50 caliber heavy machine gun fire. After about 3 or 4 dozens rounds went through the engine block, the small white pickup lurched to a halt.

"Cease fire!" Hagan yelled, waving his arm. Three, followed by a few other Rangers, slowly approached the shot up vehicles, their rifles at the ready. In total, 9 men were dead, leaving only one man, his leg blown off, crawling away. Three slung his rifle over his shoulder and drew his sidearm, cocking the hammer. The man growled something that only Three understood.

" _You First"_ Three said, mimicking the man's language and accent, before he pulled the trigger, sending a round crashing through the man's face. He holstered his Beretta as Sergeant Ramos walked over.

"What did was that exchange?" he asked.

"He told me to go to hell" Three said. "Him first" Three said as he walked away.

 **0845 hours, 22 June 2003,** **United States District Court for the District of Columbia,** **333 Constitution Ave NW, Washington D.C.**

 _As CDS Coalition Forces begin a new offensive drive today in Western Iraq, another story is developing here in Washington. This morning, Clement Rollins, the Special Prosecutor appointed by Attorney General Alan Fisk to investigate the actions of then United States Army Captain Barack Obama, is expected to issue the 1_ _st_ _round of grand jury subpoenas. This case is quite different then the one that plagued the Clinton Administration only a few years ago. In this case, the President has admitted that he is guilty of Conduct Unbecoming an Officer, as well as Dereliction of Duty; however, since the Statute of Limitations has expired in both cases, the President cannot be charged for either. Mr. Rollins, who served as United States Solicitor General under President Ronald Reagan from 1985 to 1989, has now been tasked to investigate who knew what and when, as well as any actions taken by Mr. Obama since entering public office in 1999"_

It was a media circus outside the Federal Courthouse as Special Prosecutor Clement "Clem" Rollins arrived. He refused to take any questions as he pushed past the small of media jackals and made his way into the courthouse. Inside the main lobby, he was ambushed by the White House Counsel, Oliver Babbish. "We've shown nothing but good faith" Babbish began.

"Mr. Babbish" replied the un-amused former Solicitor General as he kept walking.

"Nothing but good faith" Oliver repeated.

"You wanna speak privately?" Rollins asked.

"Why am I reading that subpoenas are about to be issued?"

"Oliver…"

"Your office has more leaks that the Iraqi Navy"

"You have a complaint?"

"Yes, and I just filed it in U.S. District, but that's not what I'm here to talk to you about"

"Oliver, the leaks aren't coming from the jurors" Clem told them as they stepped into the office he was working out of. "They don't even know why they're here" he added.

"You were able to impanel a grand jury without telling them what they were showing up for?"

"The Voir Dire was entirely fair, and if anything favored the subjects" Clem said as he shed his rain coat. "What you've been reading is the work of a few overzealous members of the conservative press in minor media outlets…"

"It's the New York fucking Times!" Oliver yelled, slapping the paper down on Clem's desk. "The White House has been cooperating fully. We're voluntarily handing over everything that your subpoenas could possibly cover. My staff has been working around the clock organizing documents"

"And if your staff feels that certain documents are protected by Executive Privilege?"

"What if I told you the President is considering waiving Executive Privilege?"

"What about attorney-client privilege? What about the unofficial military oath of silence?"

"Hey, if you wanna take on the United States Army Judge Advocate General's Corps, you have fun with that" Oliver told him. "As for the White House, as I stated, we have shown nothing but good faith…"

"I don't give out extra credit for that" Clem told him as he made his way out, heading down the hallway towards the conference room where the jurors were waiting. He stepped down a small staircase into the room, where there was a large wooden table with the jurors seated around it. After clearing his throat he addressed them. "Good morning ladies and gentlemen, my name is Clement Rollins. I am the special prosecutor, appointed by the United States Attorney General, Mr. Alan Fisk, in the matter of Docket CRSP-00101. This morning, with your permission and on your behalf, I would like to issue the 1st round of subpoenas. These subpoenas compel both testimony and production of documents by the individuals named herein. They are as follows…" he said as he drew a list from his pocket.

\- Barack H. Obama II

\- Johnny Reid Edwards

\- Jennifer Obama

\- Megan North Martin

\- Elmo Jared Franklin

\- William Duncan McAvoy

\- Gabrielle Dee Giffords

\- Stephanie Marie McMahon

\- Michael Santino Corinthos Jr.

\- Rexton John Bartlett

\- Olivia Talia Falconeri

\- Elizabeth Leslie Quartermaine

\- Anthony Dominick DiNozzo Jr.

 **0930 hours, 22 June 2003, Naval Criminal Investigative Service Headquarters, Washington Navy Yard, Washington D.C.**

Word of the subpoenas got out fast. "What do you mean I've been subpoenaed?!" Tony yelled into his phone.

" _All I'm telling you is that my source at the courthouse says that you name was on the list that Rollins presented to the grand jury_ " Meg told him. " _If it makes you feel any better, I got one too. As did your father, your mother, your son and Liz Quartermaine"_ she added.

"Jesus H. Christ"

" _You're not gonna testify are you?"_ she asked.

"Fuck no" Tony replied. "After I hang up with you, I'm calling Tea and having her squash this fucking thing; that is if my father hasn't done so already" he told her. while he waited for a reply, there was a beeping indicating he had another call. "Meggy, I got another call, I gotta go. If I get the chance, I'll swing by tomorrow and give you guys a helping hand" he said as he hung up. he then switched to his second line and put it on speaker. "DiNozzo" he called out.

" _Agent DiNozzo, the Director would like to see you in his office, now"_ said Director Morrow's secretary.

"Yeah, yeah" Tony replied as he picked up the phone and slammed it down. Not bothering to grab his jacket off the back of his chair, Tony exited his office and made his way out in to the main bullpen, where Special Agent Gibbs and his team were working a new case. "What'd ya got, Gibby?" Tony asked as he climbed the stairs.

"Kidnapping" replied Special Agent G. Callen, who along with Vivian Blackadder and Stan Burley, made up Gibbs' MCRT. Tony didn't reply as he headed for the Director's office. He pushed his way through the outer office, not bothering to even look at the Director's Secretary with whom he had just spoken. Tony stepped into the Director's office, closing the door behind him.

"You wanted to see me" he said as he stood in front of the Director's desk.

"You come in here, dressed like that?" Morrow growled. Tony's tie was loose, his vest was unbuttoned and he wasn't wearing a jacket.

"You're the Director of NCIS, not the President" Tony replied as he crossed his arms. "Also, I'm here on a Sunday, so bite me you fucking _fanook_ "

"How did Tom Colleton put up with you all those years?"

"He drank a lot" Tony replied. "I have a lot of work to do, so if you brought me in here for a chit-chat…"

"I'm assigning you a Probationary Agent"

"No you're not"

"Yes I am"

"Give em to Gibbs, or Pacci, or Balboa, or anyone who isn't me" Tony told him. "I work alone" he added.

"Her name is Paris Summerskill" said Director Morrow as he handed Tony the file. "She will be assigned to you until I say otherwise. She start's tomorrow. Am I clear Special Agent?"

"Yes Sir" Tony replied. Not giving the Director anymore time to dress him down, Tony quickly made his exit, heading back to his office. He rushed down the stairs, stopping in Gibbs' bullpen. "Did you know about this?" he asked, holding up the folder.

"I did" Gibbs grinned.

"And you didn't think that maybe you would give me a heads up?"

"Briefly, but then Morrow would have assigned her to me, so… I didn't" Gibbs shrugged.

"You remember how I dragged your Marine green carcass across the fucking desert"

"I was unconscious, so I don't remember it as it happened, but go on"

"This is one of the many times I regret not leaving you there to rot!" Tony growled as jabbed his finger into Gibbs' desk.

"Well when you invent time travel, let me know, ok" Gibbs grinned.

"Fuck you, you fucking jarhead" Tony told him as he stormed off back to his office.

 **1800 hours local time, 22 June 2003, Route 1, Central Iraq.**

Once the advancing allied Armor had reached the overpass, Delta Company had been sent to scout out a further advance on Ramadi. When they were just under 50 klicks from the outskirts of Ramadi, Lieutenant Hagan received orders to attack and secure the West Ramadi Train Station. As well as serving as a Forward Operating Base for the coming attack on Ramadi itself, it would also allow the US to move in supplies, troops and equipment via the rail lines from Jordan.

"Do we have any idea what's waiting for us?" Three asked.

"That would be a negative, Staff Sergeant" Tilden replied.

"So we're walking into the virtual unknown, with no ass and no air?"

"You seem troubled by that, Staff Sergeant" Tilden grinned.

"Only slightly, Sir" Three replied as he popped a fresh clip into his rifle.

"Not that you need it, but you have my permission to speak freely" Tilden said.

"LT, what happens if the enemy has heavy weapons or armor?" Three asked. "Humvees don't stand up to well to T-72s" he said.

"There's nothing I can do, Three" Tilden spoke candidly. "Our orders are legal, we have no choice but to follow them" he said.

"Yes Sir" Three replied. Then he got an idea. "LT, I have an idea, Sir" he said.

"Speak up then, Staff Sergeant" Tilden ordered.

"Let me take a squad and recon the train station. If Saddam's boys have any nasty surprises waiting for us, at least the whole Company won't walk into it" he said.

"Who do you want?" he asked.

"Give me Sergeant Ramos and his squad" Three said. You can drop us 3 or 4 klicks out" he said.

"You got a lotta balls for a 20-year old kid" Lieutenant Hagan grinned.

"Is that a yes, Sir?" Three smiled.

 **1900 hours local time, 22 June 2003, 1 klick east of West Ramadi Train Station, Ramadi, Iraq.**

Taking Sergeant Ramos and his Squad with him, Three, his face wrapped in a shemagh, moved towards the train station. They were spread out in a line across the open desert as they approached. As they walked along, they heard a rumbling in the distance. "Shit" Three growled as riffed the shemagh off his face and immediately dropped his. "Hit the dirt, we trouble coming!" he yelled. "Keep low!" he yelled. "Miller, prep a LAW" he ordered. The Corporal did as he was told as the enemy approached. Led by a BMP-1 Armored Fighting Vehicle and BTR-81 Armored Personnel Carrier, 3 trucks and a jeep rolled up carrying Iraqi troops. "Cover!" Three yelled as the BMP opened fire, the round landing behind the Rangers. By now, the Rangers were engaged in a full on firefight, taking cover behind some small dirt mounds. "God damn it, Miller! We need hat LAW now!" Three yelled as he fired off 2 short bursts from his M4A1.

"I'm on it, I'm on it!" Miller replied as he got up on one knee. He fired, but the projectile bounded off the BMP's turret's front glacis plate.

"Hit 'em again, Miller!" Three yelled. Corporal Miller quickly prepped another M-72, the Rangers continued to fire on the Iraqis across the field. The BMP fired off another round, this one landing in front of the Rangers. "Miller, they've got us fucking bracketed, we need that LAW now!" he yelled.

"I'm on it!" Miller said, as he popped up, the LAW on his shoulder. He fired off the rocket, this one striking home just underneath the front glacis plate this time, blowing up the turret. At the same time, another Ranger, PFC Newton, fired off another Law, this one taking out one of the trucks, sending it into a fireball, taking out several enemy soldiers with it. As the Rangers began to turn the tide, the Iraqi BTR moved forward, its heavy machine gun hammering away at the Rangers. Three knew he had to act quickly. He flicked up the sight and ranged the M-203 grenade launcher on his M4. He fired off a round, sending it crashing into the front of the BTR, killing the driver, co-driver and gunner; stopping the vehicle in its tracks.

"Advance by rushes!" Three yelled as he ejected the spent grenade casing, inserting a new one. With the men covering each other, Three lead the men forward, killing more enemy soldiers in the process. As he reached the small ridge the enemy was occupying, Three fired off another grenade, this one taking out the Iraqi jeep. By the time the rest of the Rangers reached his position, Three had also taken out another truck, as well as several more enemy soldiers. "Cover me" he yelled as he rushed towards the knocked out BMP, which was still being used as cover by several soldiers. As he ran over, he grabbed an M-67 off his web gear, pulling the pin. He counted to 5 and tossed the grenade in an open hatch. The grenade's explosion killed whoever was remaining inside, as well as blow off the turret, cooking off the remaining ammunition. Three dove for cover, crawling behind a large rock, as bullets cracked off of it. As the remaining Iraqis tried to retreated, 3 fired off another 2 grenades, taking out the remaining truck and another group of Iraqi fighters. The firefight continued to become more and more one-sided for the next few minutes until it finally died down. Three fired off a few more rounds as the last Iraqi fighter made a break for it. "Stay alert, them fuckers might be playin possum" he warned them. Three was proven right, as the Rangers killed 3 stragglers who original injuries were not as bad as they had been portrayed. "Get me Lieutenant Hagan" Three ordered.

"Yes Staff Sergeant" replied Sergeant Ramos. "Horton, snap to, front & center" Ramos ordered.

"Yes, Sergeant" replied PFC Horton, who was carrying the squad's radio. Horton quickly rushed over, radio pack on his back, mic in hand.

"Raise Delta Actual" Three ordered. as PFC Horton attempted to raise Lieutenant Hagan, Three reached into his pocket and pulled out a pack of smokes. He lit one up and blew out a puff of smoke through his nose.

"Staff Sergeant, I have Delta Actual" said PFC Horton as he held out the mic.

"Delta Actual, this is Sky Train. How copy?" Three said into the mic.

" _Solid copy, Sky Train. Send traffic_ " the Lieutenant replied.

"Delta 1-1 has made probing contact with advance enemy recon unit. 6 vehicles, including light armor destroyed, 50+ EKIA" Three said.

"Copy that, Sky Train" Tilden told him. "Interrogative: What do you think Three?" he asked.

"Well, I'll withhold final judgment until I see the target, but evidence would suggest that we're likely to receive a hot reception" he cautioned.

"I hear ya" the Lieutenant replied. "Wait at present location until we reach you, I'd like to gets eyes on myself"

"Understood Sir, will rendezvous at 2000 hours" Three replied. "Sky Train out" he finished.

 **2000 hours local time, 22 June 2003, West Ramadi Train Station, Ramadi, Iraq.**

"That's quite the welcome wagon" said Lieutenant Hagan as he lowered the binoculars from his eyes. Below them, the Iraqis had entrenched at least a division of Republican Guard, supported by several Reserve Brigades.

"We could take them" Three said. "It'll be bloody, but we can take em"

"We'll need the tankers for that" Tilden said. The 2 of them had dug themselves into a hillside a couple thousand yards from enemy positions that surrounded the station. "We're too exposed up here, let's get back. We'll figure out what to do from there"

"By your lead, Sir" Three said as they slowly got up, moving into a low sprint back over the crest of the hill and down the other side. When they got back to the convoys, the Company's 4 Platoon leaders waiting for them.

"We'll need support to take the station. If we try and strong point it with just our Humvees, we'll get slaughtered" Tilden said.

"We also can't stay here either" Three added.

"So what do we do?" asked 2nd Lieutenant Lewis Comstock, the Platoon Leader of 1st Platoon, as Three rolled out a map on the hood of the Humvee they had gathered around.

"Here" Three pointed. "Al-Khalaf. It's a small isolated village about 25 klicks northwest of here"

"What if there are Iraqis there?" asked Lieutenant Comstock.

"I wouldn't bet on it" Three said. "It's far too small to be worth defending it with anything we can't handle, if at all"

"What if it's some sort of LP?"

"I doubt it, it's too far off our axis of advance and they know that. And LP would be worthless to them there" Three assured him. "It's your call, Sir" Three said. Tilden carefully thought it over.

"Move out" the Lieutenant nodded.

"You heard the man, let's move, let's move, let's move!" Three yelled.

 **1400 hours, 22 June 2003, Oval Office, West Wing, White House, Washington D.C.**

"The Rangers have spearheaded forward and are fast approaching Ramadi" said General Clark as he sat on one of the couches in the Oval Office.

"How far behind are the armored units?" asked the President, who was sitting adjacent to him in an arm chair.

"We sent the Rangers out as the vanguard of the offensive. The Tankers are having a heard time keeping up" said Jack Reed, the Secretary of Defense. "The Brits report that that the Royal Guards are at least 36 hours away from Ramadi, and that's if the weather holds" he said.

"The Navy's meteorology service is reporting a 65% chance of a sandstorm sweeping our axis of advance along Highway 1" Wes spoke up.

"You're the expert Wes, if that sandstorm does hit, what happens to the Brits?" the President asked.

"Even in a light sandstorm, it'll slow the tankers to a crawl. Anything heavier than that, and navigation will be completely impossible, and they'll be forced to stop" General Clark explained. "Which leaves our Ranger boys out there with their fucking dicks in the wind" he added.

"1st Lieutenant Hagan is a hell of a soldier and a fine officer. Not only that, but Three is with him" Meg said.

"Why?" asked the President.

"Colonel Colleton assigned him" Meg said. When both Wes and SecDef gave her a look, she quipped "Chester told me"

"If we can, get word to Lieutenant Hagan. Tell him to find a place to hunker down and weather the storm" the President ordered.

"Yes Sir" the General and SecDef nodded as they stood up and left the room.

"There are some days when I wish somebody else had this job" the President said as he stood up and moved back to his desk.

"Well you could quit, let Johnny Boy take over" Meg said as she took her seat in the chair next to the President's desk.

"The fringes still screaming their heads off?" the President asked as he leaned back.

"Oh yes" Meg grinned. "Tancredo has been hammering you with it every chance he gets" she said.

"Is it true that Farwell Jr. is throwing his hat into the race?" the President asked.

"Oh yes, Sir" Meg grinned.

"God help the country if one of those fucking morons wins this thing" the President said.

"Nickels ain't that bad" Meg said.

"True" the President told her. "But I like my job" he grinned.

"The Partial Birth Abortion ban should be on your desk within the next few weeks" she said.

"With the exemption for life of the mother?" the President asked.

"We've made it quite clear to both Delay and Specter that you'll veto it unless that provision is present"

"Let's move they're smart enough to get the message then" he replied. "What about Medicare?" he asked.

"We managed to snake it out of committee, and it'll come to a full floor vote next week. It's gonna be tight" she said.

"Keep your eye on it" the President ordered.

"Of course Sir" the Meg nodded as she stood up and walked towards the door to her office.

"Oh" the President said as he picked up an envelope off his desk. "And squash this fucking subpoena!" he yelled.

 **2200 hours local time, 22 June 2003, Al-Khalaf, Iraq.**

"Al-Khalaf" said Lieutenant Hagan as he looked over the small village through his binoculars. "Looks deserted" he added.

"Yes Sir" Three nodded.

"Lieutenant!" said 2nd Lieutenant Comstock in a loud whisper. "Sir, one of my guys spotted a vehicle on the far side of the village. It's a Humvee" he said.

"What!?" Three replied in disbelief. He raised up his rifle, using his scope as a makeshift telescope. "Well I'll be damned" Three said as he lowered the weapon. "It really is a Humvee" he said.

"We're supposed to be most forward allied unit" Tilden said. "So what the hell is a Humvee doing down there?" he asked rhetorically.

"Well, only 2 things" Three paused. "Either it's captured or… well… it's my team" Three said.

"Your team?" asked Lieutenant Comstock

"Zip it Lew" Tilden ordered. "Why would they be down there?" he asked.

"I haven't spoken to them in nearly 2 weeks" Three said. "For all I know, they could have been assigned a forward recon of the area" he said.

"Wouldn't CENTCOM notify us we were to expect friendlies in the area?" Tilden asked

"Maybe, maybe not" Three said. "General Buchanan is funny like that" Three said.

"So what do we do?" Tilden asked.

"Let me go down there and scout it out" Three said. "If it is my guys, they'll see me before I see them" he said. "If it's the enemy, you hear it" he said.

"What if the ragheads get the drop on you?" asked Lieutenant Comstock.

"Then shwack the fucking village" Three said. "Got it?"

"Good luck, Three" the Lieutenant nodded.

20 minutes later, Three was slowly moving up upon the village. "Yeah, this was a good idea" Three muttered to himself as he gripped his rifle tightly. The village was both dead quiet and pitch black. Given the conditions, Three very much doubted that there were any hostiles around. However, given his training, Three wasn't going to take any chances. What troubled him the most was the complete lack of any noise at all. As the old saying goes, _it's quiet, too quiet_. He decided that his best shot at finding out what the hell had gone on here. He cautiously made his way through the village to the far side, where he and Lieutenant Hagan had spotted the Humvee. When he found it, he first carefully scanned the area. Once again, he found nothing. He slowly approached the vehicle and as he did, the state of the vehicle became clearer. It had been badly shot up, and had several large bullet holes in the engine block. The wind shield had been completely shot out and there was blood pooled on the floor and staining the seats. "Jesus Christ" Three whispered as lowered his weapon. "Delta Actual, this is Sky Train. How copy?" Three said into his radio.

" _Solid copy Sky Train. Send traffic"_ Lieutenant Hagan replied.

"Sir, you better get down here" Three said.

 **PLEASE REVIEW!**

 **A/N- Sorry that the chapter is so short, and that it took forever to get out this update. I really hit a wall with the writer's block. I decided just to put out this chapter and start fresh with the next one.**

 **(Allen's Voice)- Next time on "28 Seconds: Blood & Iron"-**

 **As the walls begin to close in on the White House, Meg begins to feel the true stress of her job. In Iraq, Three rushes to find his friends before it's too late. Finally, Tony puts his new probie through her paces. Introducing** _ **24's**_ **Kim Raver as Probationary Agent Paris Summerskill.**


	5. An NCIS Agent named Paris

**Chapter 5**

 **An NCIS Agent named Paris**

 **2315 hours local time, 22 June 2003, Al-Khalaf, Iraq.**

"Holy shit" said Lieutenant Hagan as he looked over the shot up Humvee. By now, the previously deserted village was now abuzz with life as Delta Company moved into it. "Are you sure this is your teams?" Tilden asked.

"Yes" Three said. "I found this picture" he said holding up a wallet size photo of a toddler.

"Who's this?"

"That's Johnny Martin" Three said. "Chester's son"

"I can't image the 1st Sergeant would ever let something like this go" Tilden said.

"He left it on purpose" Three said. "He left it for me to find" he said.

"And he knew you would be here?" Tilden asked. "25 klicks off our axis of advance?"

"He knew that someone would find it and that it would find its way back to someone who would know where to take it" Three said.

"Ok, supposing you're right; where are they?" the Lieutenant asked. Three thought about it before answering.

"I don't know" Three said. "But I do know that 25 klicks from here, there are a whole ton of shitkickers who might" Three said with a grin.

"Then come morning, we'll see what they have to say" Tilden returned his grin.

"Don't worry" Three smiled. "I always have a plan"

 **0602 hours, 23 June 2003, NCIS Headquarters, Washington Navy Yard, Washington D.C.**

It was just after 0600 when Probationary Special Agent Paris stepped off the elevator and out onto the main floor. She walked past the MCRT bullpens towards the back hallway that held a row of offices. She paused at the end of the hall. "I'm sorry, Agent…?"

"Pacci, Chris Pacci" the elder agent said.

"Agent Pacci, could you point me to Special Agent DiNozzo's office?" she asked politely.

"2nd from the end" said Agent Pacci as he motioned with his arm.

"Thank you" she smiled as she moved down the hall.

"Good luck" Agent Pacci said ominously as he walked away as well. Paris had no idea what she said. She made her way down the hall to the door she was looking for. It read "SSA DiNozzo, SIU" on a gold plate on the door. She knocked and waited.

"Enter!" boomed a loud voice. Paris grabbed the knob and slowly entered.

"Agent DiNozzo, I'm Paris Summerskill" she said as she moved in front of his desk.

"Correction, you are Agent Summerskill, and will refer to yourself as such at all times" he said as he stood up. Tony was dressed in a dark blue 3-piece suit, with his jacket on the back of his chair. In contrast, Paris wore a gray pantsuit.

"Understood" Paris replied.

"You're also late" Tony said.

"I was told to report at 6am" she stated.

"And it's 0603" Tony said, checking his watch.

"3 minutes" Paris protested.

"3 minutes late" Tony told her.

"Yes Sir" Paris bowed her head in defeat.

"Are you armed, Agent Summerskill?" Tony asked.

"Yes" she said, pulling back her coat to reveal a holstered Sig Sauer"

"Good" he said, slipping on his jacket. "Let's go" he said.

They moved out of his office, down the stairs to the garage. "Paris Teresa Summerskill. Born in Providence, Rhode Island, 15 March 1974. fluent in 4 languages, 1st in your class at the FLETC" Tony recalled from her file. "Aren't you a fucking recruiting poster" he commented. Paris remained silent as they approached Tony's Mustang. "You requested assignment to SIU. Why?" he asked.

"Because I wanted to serve with the best" she said. Tony chuckled and shook his head as he opened the car door, pausing to lean on it.

"Do you know what SIU even does?" Tony asked as he got in the car.

"SIU is NCIS' Street Intelligence Unit. It was created on a directive from Director Thomas Morrow in the spring of 2003 and Supervisory Special Agent Anthony Dominick DiNozzo Jr. was assigned to run it" she recited.

"Well, at least we know we can read" Tony said as he started the engine and pulled out of the garage. "SIU has an agent in all 16 of our Field Offices, all of whom report to me here in D.C." he said. "My particular office has jurisdiction over D.C., Baltimore and Northern Virginia" he said. "SIU's directive is to protect US Naval and Marine Corps personnel and their families from Organized Criminals activities. Mostly its low level gang shit, but we occasionally run into some heavier shit" he said. "LCN, the Drug Cartels and organized crime organizations" he said explained as they pulled out of the Naval Yard. "Once you pull back the curtain on D.C. and Baltimore, you'll find that they're both filth infested rat holes. D.C. isn't as bad, it's mostly just moulinyans" he said.

"But not Baltimore" Paris said.

"Exactly" Tony said.

 **0815 hours, 23 June 2003, Fells Point District, Baltimore, Maryland.**

About an hour and a half later they were in Baltimore. Luckily they were running against rush hour so they made it in rather quickly. "Up until the late 1990s, LCN in Baltimore was run through a Gambino-affiliated crew" Tony said. "After Gotti was convicted in '92, the Baltimore Crew fell apart; and from their ashes arose the Napolitano Crime Family" said Tony as they pulled up near the harbor. Tony lit a cigarette after he killed the ignition. "See that over there?" he pointed, blowing smoke through his nose. "That's the Fells Point Hunt & Fish Club; the de-facto headquarters James "Jimmy Naps" Napolitano, Boss of the Napolitano Crime Family"

"You sure know a lot about Organized Crime" Paris commented.

"Comes with the territory" Tony said as he fired up the engine. "Tomorrow and from now on unless I say otherwise, you are to report to work in street clothes. Preferably jeans, leather jacket and shoes you can run in" he instructed.

"Ok"

"Also, this is SIU, we carry at all times, even off duty" he added. "Open the glove box". She did and pulled out a small case. She opened it, revealing a stainless steel Kahr K9 9mm handgun.

"Wow" she said as she picked it up.

"Like I said, this is SIU; we do things a little bit differently" he said as he put the car in gear and pulled away.

 **1600 hours local time, 23 June 2003, Ramadi, Iraq.**

An intense battle was ragging on the Western side of the city as CDS Coalition Forces fought their way into the city. Knowing that there was a good chance his teammate were here, Three once again donned his stolen French Officer's uniform and made his way around to the far side of the city, where the City's Republican Guard Headquarters was located.

Three pulled up in an Iraqi Land Rover that he had liberated. When he stepped out, he quickly took note of his surroundings. There was a guard on wither side of the door, as well as 3 by the compound's main gate. As he had driven in, he had also seen at least 3 men on the roof, one of which was armed with a sniper rifle. He could only guess that there would be at least another dozen inside, all armed with assault rifles like the men outside.

However, while he was heavily out numbered, he did have one thing that he hadn't had the last time he pulled this little caper: papers. That's right; he was able to get G2 to cook up some halfway decent papers that identified him as Sous-Lieutenant Luc Harcourt of the French GIGN, Section 4. They weren't the best forgery in history, but Three had surmised that they would do on such short notice. After making sure his rifle was safely tucked under a blanket that was laying across the back seat, Three stepped out, slipping on those stupid circular sunglasses that seemed to be popular if you were a froggie. The men at the door didn't budge as Three walked past them. " _Sous-Lieutenant Harcourt, GIGN, Section 4."_ Three told the man he found sitting at a desk as he pulled off his black leather gloves. _"My Embassy was notified that you have American Prisoners. They are to be turned over to me at once for interrogation"_ he barked forcefully in Arabic. In his head, he was silently praying that they were actually here, because if they weren't he was in some deep trouble.

" _Yes, this way_ " the man replied as he stood up from his desk. He led Three down a hallway and down a flight of stairs to the basement. " _The cells are soundproof. Once the door is closed, no noise will escape, so you may do with them as you wish_ " the man said as he closed and locked the door behind them.

"Excellent" Three replied, switching to English as he drew his MR-73 revolver, cocking the hammer as he spun around, firing a round into the guard's head. The guard's body slammed into the door before slowly slumping to the ground, his brains splattered on the steel door. he tucked the gun back in its holster before moving down the row of cells. "Ironman! Cover Girl! Razor!" he called out. "You here?"

"Three!" a voice called out weakly.

"Tali!" Three yelled back as he rushed down to the very last cell. He grabbed the revolver and used its butt to bash off the lock, throwing the door open. On the floor against the back wall was brutally and badly beaten Tali. "Tali" Three whispered, his voice full of concern as he slid to his knees, pulling her into his arms. "Jesus H. Christ he said. Tali had been badly beaten, her shirt covered with dried blood. Her face was also bruised and bloodied. "You're ok, you're safe now" he said.

"The others" she said weakly. "Get the others" she said.

"Where are they?" Three asked.

"Other cells, last I saw" she said. Three gave her a kiss on the forehead before gently laying her back down.

"I'll be back I promise" he said before quickly rushing to check the other cells. He found both Chester and Zander, beaten just as badly as Tali. However, unlike Tali, both of them were unconscious. Three quickly rushed back to Tali, who was pathetically trying to get up. "Stay down, stay down" he said, pulling her into his arms again.

"Three, you need to go" she said, grabbing Three's shirt. "We'll never make it. You need to save yourself"

"I ain't going anywhere" Three said. "And done worry, I have a plan" he smiled. Three quickly made his way up to the roof, where he called over the 2 guards. " _I am taking the American dogs back to my Embassy in Baghdad. A helicopter is being sent, help me carry their bodies to the roof"_ he told them. They quickly agreed, following Three down to cells. Three waited nervously as they picked up Chester, carrying him out. Three had made sure that after he stashed the dead body from before that he had positioned the door in such a way that the blood stains wouldn't be seen. A few minutes later the guards came back to take Zander. This time, Three followed them. When they reached the roof, they heard the sound of chopper blades in the distance. "Damn they're early" Three said. The guards didn't react until they saw that instead of a French SA-330 Puma, it was an American Huey. They started yelling and pointing, going for their rifles. "God damn it" Three said as he drew the revolver and fired a round into each other their heads, before turning to the sniper and killing him too. By now the men on the ground had opened fire on the chopper. Three tried to have the pilots off, but they ignored him and came in for a lading anyway. Knowing it was now or never, Three quickly dragged Zander and Chester onto the chopper. "There's one more, you need to wait" Three yelled over the blades as several rounds slammed into the chopper.

"We need to leave!" yelled the co-pilot.

"You have to wait!" Three yelled.

"No can do" the co-pilot told him. "You coming or not?" he asked. Three spat in disgust as he watched the chopper take off. he quickly rushed back down to the cells.

"Ok, Tali Girl, change of plans" he said as he pulled her arm over his shoulder. "Chopper's gone, so we need to find another way out of here" he said.

"Just leave me" she said weakly.

"Would you knock it off with that" Three said as he picked her up in his arms to carry her up the stairs. When he moved for the forayed, they ran into the remaining guards. The guards opened fire.

"Down!" Three yelled as he threw Tali to the floor, jumping on top of her. he quickly drew the revolver, firing off the last two shots, taking out one of the guards in the process. He ducked back behind the wall to quickly reload. "Ya know, I know my father has his thing about not ever owning stuff that was made in France, but I really like this gun!" Three grinned as he snapped the cylinder back in, cocking the hammer. in his peripheral vision, he noticed that Tali was smiling as well. Three spun around the corner and fired off all 6 shots, taking out 2 more guards. If his math was right, that would leave only 2 left. He quickly reloaded again, and spun around just in time to shoot and kill one of the remaining guards, who was rushing his position. That left only 1. Three quickly tossed the revolver over to Tali. He then drew his knife from his belt. Cautiously on his toes, Three slowly crept into the hallway. When the final guard moved to fire, Three rushed forward and slammed the rifle into the wall, knocking it from the enemy's hand. He then quickly elbowed the man in the face, before swinging around, and jabbing the knife into the man's gut. He quickly withdrew and rammed the blade home for a 2nd time. after he withdrew again, he went for the killing stroke, slashing it across the man's neck, cutting his vocal cords and carotid artery. Three also snapped the man's neck for good measure, before tossing the body away. He stripped off his bloody French uniform shirt, and used it to wipe the blade clean before tossing the shirt away. Now, the only "French" aspect that remained on his uniform was his khaki uniform pants. He then rushed outside to the Land Rover, opening the rear driver door, tearing the blanket off the back seat. Three had always known that if he was caught in that French Uniform, he could and would be shot as a spy. He also knew, that the even if he was caught in his own uniform that the Iraqis could and would shoot him if he was captured. But if he was going to be captured and shot, he wasn't going to be caught dead in a French uniform. After quickly making the change and strapping his holster to his thigh, he rushed back inside to Tali. "Ok, time to go, and I mean it this time" he said as he picked her up, bridal style, carrying her outside. As carefully as he could, he laid her down in the passenger seat. After making sure she was secure, Three rushed back inside, an emerged a few minutes later with 3 large duffle bags. He tossed them in the back of the tan SUV.

"What are those bags?" Tali asked weakly, her eyes barely open, when Three got into the driver's seat.

"Don't worry about it" he said as he started the engine. He put it in gear and stepped on the gas, pulling out of the compound.

"You left a lot of evidence back there" Tali warned him.

"No I didn't" Three replied glancing at his watch. "4…3…2…1…" behind them, the building exploded into a fireball.

"Never mind" Tali said with a small smile. Three truly was his father's on. "Where are we headed?" she asked.

"CDS Forces have begun our new offensive to the west, and as we speak, the British Royal Guards Armored Division and the out own 2nd Armored should be pounding the crap out of the Republican Guard" Three smiled.

"Isn't that…" she didn't have time to finish the sentence before a tank, an Iraqi T-72 crashed through a wall behind them.

"You had to say something" Three growled as he mashed the pedal, shifting into a higher gear as he sped up. In the rearview mirror, Three watched as what looked like an entire Iraqi Corps in full retreat. A couple of the tanks took notice of Three's Humvee and turned to pursue them. "Damn" Three said as his eyes darted back and forth between the road in front of them and the rear view mirror. As Three spend up, one of the tanks fired off a round from its main gun. The she landed forward and to the right of the SUV, but it was more than close for comfort for Three. "That was a clo…" was all he had time to say as a round crashed right behind the SUV, sending it ass over teakettle and crashing into a building as it spun on it's roof. Three was momentarily knocked for a loop as his head slammed into the metal frame. "Ah" he complained as the blood trickled down his head from the large gash. It took him a couple of seconds for his vision to clear when he noticed a squad of Iraqi soldiers slowly approaching the vehicle. Three quickly cut himself loose from the seat belt and reached back into the back seat and grabbed his rifle off the ceiling that was now the floor. He fired off a couple of bursts, taking out 3 of the approaching enemies. He then swung the rifle around and used the butt the bash open the door. he rolled out and fired again, taking out more Iraqis. Using the door for cover, Three proceeded to take out several more enemy soldiers. It was then that he realized that all the ammo was on his belt, which he wasn't wearing. "Damn" he growled as he fired off the last round. He laid the rifle down, drawing his Beretta. He quickly expended the 15-round clip before tossing the gun inside the flipped SUV. He then grabbed the rifle by the barrel and using it as a billy club to bash in the brains of a couple more Iraqis. When a group of them rushed him, he threw the riddle at them and grabbed his knife. With that, he even managed to kill a couple of them before a group of 4 tackled him and over powered him. he though he was done for, until shots erupted from the SUV. They were load and powerful, each one a kill shot. Within seconds the 4 men were left on the ground bleeding. Three rushed back over to the blowout windshield of the SUV, and pulled Tali out of it, who was holding his revolver in her hand.

"Get down" she said as she pushed him aside and fired off another shot, killing yet another enemy soldier. She squeezed the trigger again, but it was a dry fire; it was empty. "Fuck" she said as the gun fell from her hand. The adrenaline that had been flowing through her veins began to wear off and she collapsed into Three's arms, who slipped his arm around her waist, and her arm over his shoulder to support her. "I see what you mean about that gun" she smiled, her teeth stained with her own blood.

"Come on, we gotta move," he said. But before they could, they quickly found themselves surrounded by 2 Iraqis tanks and another 2 squads of men. "Or not" Three said. The commander of one of the tanks yelled something to them.

"He said for us to put our hands up" Tali translated.

"Yeah I know, I speak Arabic too honey" Three said as they both put their hands up, Tali still leaning on Three for support. As the lead tank swung it's turret around to target them, the one begin it exploded into flames. "Down!" Three said as he shoved Tali to the ground, diving on top of her. Mere seconds later, the lead tank blew up as well. By now the Iraqi soldiers were running with their tails between their legs as US and British Armored forces continued their advance. Three and Tali kept their heads down the first wave of tanks rushed past, sending the Iraqis back in a full retreat. After a 2nd wave of tanks and some more soldiers past, 3 Humvees pulled up, followed by one that was serving as an ambulance.

"Three!" yelled a familiar voice. Three turned and saw Lieutenant Hagan jumping out of one of the Humvees.

"Get a medic!" Three yelled as he pulled Tali into his arms. "Get a medic now!" he yelled. The medics came running over, as did Lieutenant Hagan. "She's was tortured and badly beaten. She's also been in a car accident. She's been fluctuating in and out of consciousness, and I think she may have some internal bleeding" Three told the medics as placed Tali on a stretcher. Three watched silently as they carried her away. He silently began gathering his things as they drove away. "So how did we do?" Three asked as he clipped on his web gear, grabbing fresh clips for both his Beretta and rifle. He then reloaded his revolver.

"We've broken their lines, as you can see and they're in full retreat. We hope to end major combat operations in the city within the next 2-3 hours, and have full control in 2-3 days" Tilden told him, causing him to burst out into hysterical laughter.

"I've heard that one before" Three said. "And so have you for that matter" he added. "You remember the Al-Rimam Valley? The fucking valley that we ended up in by mistake? The taking heads in Washington said the same thing about liberating Kuwait. Hell I was stuck on that fucking knoll for 2 days" he yelled. "Why the fuck am I telling you this, you were there, you know"

"Yeah, I remember" Tilden said.

"I'm taking one of your Humvees" Three said as he grabbed the 3 duffle bags he had tossed in the back of the Land Rover and tossed them in the back of the closest Humvee.

"Where are you going?" Tilden asked.

"Wherever they took my teammates" he said.

"8063rd M*A*S*H" Tilden said. "Back at Khalaf"

"Right" Three nodded as he jumped in and started the engine.

"When will you be back?"

"Tomorrow morning" Three said as he drove off.

 **1030 hours, 23 June 2003, Washington D.C.**

Paris had a confused look on her face as Tony drove the car deeper into the heart of the District of Columbia. "Where are we going?" Paris finally asked.

"1600 Pennsylvania Ave" Tony said.

"1600 Pennsylvania Ave?" Paris repeated. "But that's…" she paused as Tony pulled up to the gate, something that very few people were even permitted to do. Tony pulled out his badge from his jacket pocket.

"Agents DiNozzo and Summerskill, NCIS" Tony said. Paris watched in awe as the guard didn't even do any kind of checking.

"Go right ahead, Sir" the Guard said as he tipped his cap. Tony nodded in return as he let off the gas and headed for the Executive Parking lot. He pulled into a space and killed the engine. When she got out, Paris read the sign in front of the space.

"The sign says 'Reserved for Vice President John R. Edwards" Paris read.

"He ain't using it" Tony said as he walked past her, down the sidewalk towards the door.

"But won't we…" she began to protest

"Move your ass Ms. Summerskill" Tony said as he button his jacket. Paris quickly rushed up behind him. They walked through the door, and once again, they were waived through once Tony flashed his badge.

"Don't they usually make people sign in?" Paris asked as they entered the lobby.

"Not me" Tony said as they walked through to the end and turned right, headed towards the Press Secretary's office. When they reached the outer office, Tony looked in and saw Stephanie being briefed by Oliver Babbish, the White House Counsel, and the Deputy Counsel Ainsley Hayes.

"You could emphasize that it's not like being served" Oliver was explaining, no doubt referring to the subpoenas that were handed down the day before.

"How is it not like being served?" Stephanie replied as she paced behind her desk.

"A subpoena is merely a legal agreement to produce certain testimony and documents" Oliver told her.

"Isn't that the same way a mugger uses a knife to produce your wallet?" Stephanie asked.

"You say that the White House is cooperating fully. You say that subpoenas do not indicate otherwise; that they are a commonly used legal tool to define the scope of inquiry"

"Political reporters don't care about the scope of inquiry. They hear the word "subpoenas" and its blood in the water. The problem with your spin is that we aren't going to get anywhere by putting on a calm face. We need to be picking a fight" Stephanie yelled as Tony and Paris slipped into the room.

"Why?" Paris spoke up, drawing looks from everyone in the room.

"Who the hell are you?" Stephanie asked.

"Probationary Agent Paris Summerskill, NCIS" she said.

"She's with you?" Oliver asked, to which Tony nodded.

"Because Agent Summerskill, in politics if you aren't on offense you're on defense" Stephanie explained.

"Your problem there is that Clem Rollin isn't Ken Starr, he isn't foaming at the mouth to take a bit out of the President. He's a good guy, and he comes off as a good guy" Ainsley spoke up.

"God damn it" Stephanie said before turning to Tony.

"DiNozzo, you're a Republican"

"Yeah, so?"

"What do Republicans say about him?" she asked.

"Well first of all, we all don't hang out in a little club" Tony fanned offense.

"Damn it, Tony…"

"He's well-respected, he's deliberate, and he takes his duty seriously. He wants to get the truth and he wants to avoid any appearance of impropriety or partisanship"

"Fuck me" Stephanie said as she plopped down in her chair.

"Ok" Tony grinned, to which Stephanie very maturely replied by giving him the finger. And that's when it hit Tony like a brick wall. "I'll see ya later" Tony said as he got up and quickly sped out. Paris followed closely behind. Tony paused when he got back to the lobby. "Here" he said as he fished a couple of bills out of his pocket. "Take a cab back to the office" he said.

"Why?" she asked.

"Because I might be a while" he said.

"But…" Paris began to protest

"That's an order" Tony told her harshly.

"Yes Sir" Paris said as she took the $40 from Tony's fingers. Before she could leave, someone called out Tony's name.

"DiNozzo!" called a voice. Tony spun around.

"Yes, Mr. President?" Tony replied.

"You in for basketball on Friday?" the President asked as he walked through the lobby.

"As always, Sir" Tony said. He then turned back to Paris. "You're dismissed" he said. After watching her walk outside, Tony turned and walked down the hall to Meg's office, where she was talking with her deputy, Jared Franklin. Tony leaned in the doorway as he listened in.

"When are you meeting on the estate tax?" Meg asked Jared.

"5 minutes"

"With Will?"

"Yeah"

"Just remember this is a compromise. It's done. I know you guys don't like it, but that's the way it is"

"It's a compromise" Jared repeated with a fake smile on his face.

"I'm just saying that when the 2 of you don't like something, y'all have a tendency to…"

"Show our displeasure"

"Piss folks off" Meg said as she leaded back in her chain, debating in her head whether to put her feet up on the desk.

"That's a bum rap, I'm sweet as pecan pie"

"Really?" Meg gave him a look.

"I hate these people" Jared confessed. "When this is done I wanna screw them with their pants on" he added.

"I used to be one of those people" Meg said.

"And I still am" Tony said as he pushed off the door frame and moved into the office. "Megan" Tony said as he leaned in and they exchanged kisses on the cheek. "Ron Jeremy" Tony smiled at Jared.

"I'm out" Jared said as he raised his hands, walking out.

"What's baby" Meg smiled as she leaned back again.

"You guys have quite the problem with this Rollins fella" he said. "He fucking subpoenaed me" Tony yelled as he slammed an envelope down on the desk. Meg leaned forward to grab it.

"Don't worry about it" Meg said as she grabbed a lighter off her desk. "Fuck em" she said as she flicked the lighter, setting the envelope ablaze before dropping it into the trash can beside your desk. "The problem with Rollins is that he likes us" Meg said.

"Well I wouldn't go that far, but he sure doesn't hate ya"

"Well, that's just cause he doesn't know us" Meg said.

"You wanna know how you get out of this?" Tony asked. "You guys need to be investigated by someone who wants to kill ya just so they can watch you die" Tony said as he reached into his jacket for his cigarette case. "Someone perceived by the American people to be irresponsible, untrustworthy, hypocritical, reckless, partisan and thirsty for the limelight" he said as he pulled out a cigarette, snapping the case shut, slipping it back into his jacket pocket.

"Just who did you have in mind" Meg said as she leaned forward, lighter in hand.

"The United States House of Representatives" Tony grinned as he took a puff, blowing the smoke out his nose.

"God help this country if you ever make it next door" Meg grinned. Tony smiled as he took another puff from his cigarette. "So what deal have your guys cooked up on the Estate Tax?" he asked.

"You the Estate Tax your Republican friends have so cleverly named the "death tax"?" she asked.

"You used to be one of my Republican friends" Tony smiled.

"We raising the cap to 10 million" she said.

"Why is that even a problem?" Tony asked. "That's nothing"

"Cause a lotta folks around here are liberal Democrats" Meg said. "Nah, but really I think it's more about setting a precedent. This time it's only $10 million, but next time it'll be 20, then 30 then 50, etcetera" she explained.

"What does my brother think?" Tony asked.

"He's otherwise occupied" Meg told him. "Besides, with all the money his books have made, I'm sure he won't care until the Estate Tax no longer covers his $150 million" she said.

"That isn't what I meant" Tony replied. "Rick has played quite a few nasty tricks in his day, many of them are particularly despicable"

"Well isn't that the pot calling the kettle black?" Meg replied.

"Actually no" Tony said. "Killing is killing" he said. "Lord knows if killed more people than the average joe…"

"God is that such an understatement" she interrupted.

"Rick has done other, more disgusting things" he said. "All the crap he pulled in Florida when he was rushing the Bush campaign"

"A lot of guys were running crazy back then"

"The Chairman of the Dade County Democratic Party was shot in the head by a Republican operative… inside a fucking courthouse" Tony said.

"Not your party's finest moment" Meg pointed out

"Neither was nominating a pervert to the Supreme Court" Tony said. "I know that Duberstein and Demarest got all the credit, but it was Rick who ran that nasty smear campaign against Anita Hill"

"Yes I remember" Meg nodded. "But then again how many people have you executed over the past decade; all in the name of the "The Teflon Don" Sonny Corinthos?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about" Tony grinned. Meg stood up and when to the table behind her desk. She grabbed a bottle of scotch and a couple of glasses. "Here" she said as she handed him one after pouring them both. " _alla famiglia_ " she said.

" _alla famiglia"_ Tony repeated as they clinked.

They spent the next few minutes talking before they were interrupted by Jared and Will, who came storming in. "The meeting, it's cancelled" Jared said.

"What?" he said as she sat up in her chair.

"They cancelled the meeting" Jared said.

"Why?" Meg asked.

"They're saying it's the Speaker's daughter's wedding" said Will.

"His daughter's Wedding is on Saturday" Meg said. Everyone gave her a look. "Tom and I are from neighboring districts; Sugar Land is only about a 2 hour drive from my home town" she said. Seeing that Jared and Will weren't satisfied, she added "Besides, other than Governor Ewing, I'm the most high profile Texas Democrat"

"Anyway, I know it's on Saturaday, that's what they told me. They also told me that the Speaker wanted to leave early" Jared added.

"They cancelled the meeting" Will repeated.

"But what's the real reason?" Jared said as he turned to Will.

"Oh it ain't that hard to figure out" Tony said as he stood up, snubbing out the cigarette on the ashtray on Meg's desk. "The White House is weak, what would you do?" he asked.

"You think they'll go for a bigger cut?" Jared asked.

"God you guys are dumb" Tony said as he walked out.

"What did he mean by that?" Will asked.

"The Republicans aren't gonna try and cut the Estate Tax" Meg said. "They're gonna try and repeal it"

In the hallway, Tony turned right and headed for the outer Oval Office where his son's desk was. He popped his head in the doorway and knocked on the frame. Rex looked up from his work and smiled. "Hi Dad" he smiled. "What brings you here?" Rex asked.

"I'm trying to get Meg to squash my subpoena" he said.

"Can she do it?"

"I hope so, cause she burned it up" he smiled. "You free Friday Night?" he asked.

"Depends on if Grandpa Sonny can watch John" he replied. "Why?"

"Basketball with POTUS" Tony replied.

"I'm in" Rex said. Before Tony could reply, a booming voice yelled his name.

"DINOZZO!" yelled a loud southern accent.

"Of for fuck's sake" he said as he moved back into the hallway as the voice boomed again. "Yes, Mr. Vice President?" Tony said as the Carolinian walked up to him.

"DiNozzo, how many goddamn times do I have to tell you not to park in my spot?" asked Vice President Edwards.

"My apologies, Sir"

"I don't want your apologies; I want that fucking car out of my parking spot!" he demanded.

"I'm going, I'm going" Tony said as he held up his hands.

 **1145 hours, 23 June 2003, NCIS Headquarters, Washington Navy Yard, Washington D.C.**

When Paris stepped off the Elevator back at NCIS Headquarters, she was immediately met by a pair of men in suits. "Paris Summerskill?" they asked.

"Who wants to know?" she questioned.

"Please accompany us to the conference room" said one of the men, skipping right over her question. Paris did as she was told, and followed the men through the bullpens, up the stairs towards the conference room. As she walked towards the door, she noticed that the Director himself, Tom Morrow, watched them from the Mezzanine. Inside the conference room, she found more people waiting for her; a man and a woman.

"Agent Summerskill?" the man asked.

"Probationary Agent Paris Summerskill" Paris said, remembering what her Boss had told her earlier that morning.

"My name is Special Agent Tobias C. Fornell, Federal Bureau of Investigation" he said. "This is my colleague, Special Agent Jordan Shaw" he nodded.

"What part of the FBI?" Paris asked. "JTTF?" she asked.

"We're with the Organized Crime Task Force" he said.

"Oh, so then you must know my boss, Special Agent DiNozzo" Paris said.

"Oh yes, I'm quite familiar with your Boss, Mr. DiNozzo" he said. "Tell me, this morning, you two took a drive into Baltimore. Why?" he asked.

"He showed me the Fells Point Hunt & Fish Club, the Headquarters of the Napolitano Crime Family" she said.

"Well he's right about that" Jordan said, leaning against the wall.

"And what did he tell you about the Napolitano's?"

"That ever since the collapse of the Gambino Baltimore Crew, Jimmy Naps ran things in Baltimore. That's why were going after him" she said.

"Is that what he told you?" Fornell chuckled. He reached over and grabbed a manila folder that was lying on the table. He opened it and laid out several photos. "Do you recognize any of these people?" he asked.

"Yes" Paris nodded. "That's Agent DiNozzo, and next to him is Richard Castle, the murder-mystery novelist, Sonny Corinthos, the former White House Chief of Staff, and the current White House Chief of Staff, Megan Martin" she said. "I don't recognize any of the others" she said.

"Allow me to enlighten you" Fornell said. "This is Jackie "Gator" Garretson" Fornell said. "He's a Caporégime, or Captain, in a rival family. Standing next to him is Jason Morgan, another Caporégime in the same family" he said.

"Garretson's crew is Baltimore, Morgan's basically runs OC up in Port Charles, New York"

"Ok, so Agent DiNozzo was seen with members of Organized Crime, isn't hat part of his job?" Paris asked.

"And while Sonny Corinthos may indeed be a former White House Chief of Staff, since 1980, he is also the Boss of the Corinthos Crime Family, and _El Capo di tutti Capi,_ Boss of all Bosses and Chairman of the Mafia Commission. At time this photo was taken, Mrs. Martin was his Consigliere, or Advisor. We believe that she may have been replaced since she became White House Chief of Staff" Fornell said. "And the man you identified as Richard Castle is indeed Richard Castle" he paused. "However, until 1985, he was known by his given name, Richard Alexander _Corinthos_ " Fornell said. "Since the fall of 2001, Mr. Castle has served as Caporégime of the Corinthos Family's New York Crew" he said.

"Ok" Paris said. "I still don't know why you're showing me all this. is this some kind of briefing/" she asked.

"No" Fornell shook his head. "In 1990, there was an attempted Coup against Sonny, led by his Underboss Damian Smith and Consigliere Duke Lavery, who had aligned with the rival Jerome Crime Family" he began. "When Sonny learned of the betrayal, he sent his son to deal with it. That son executed Lavery and Smith, as well as several members of the Jerome Family. As a reward for his loyalty, he was made the new Underboss, despite being only 22-years old at the time. He continues in that capacity to this day"

"But I thought you said that Mr. Castle was a Caporégime in New York?" Paris gave him a look.

"I did" Fornell nodded as he grabbed another photo. "The Underboss of the Corinthos Crime Family, is none other than Anthony Dominick "Tony" DiNozzo" Jr.; your boss" he said. Paris stared in disbelief. "The reason DiNozzo is targeting Napolitanos, is so that the Corinthos Family, through the Garretson Crew, can take over total control of Organized Crime in Baltimore. That's why he formed the Street Intelligence Unit in the first place" he said.

"I don't believe you" Paris said. Fornell nodded and showed her more photos.

"This is DiNozzo, meeting with John "Johnny Sack" Saccarelli, the Boss of the Genovese Crime Family" the first photo showed. "And here with John DiFronzo, the Boss of the Chicago Outfit"

"We can't go after DiNozzo for anything he did prior to this year" said Special Agent Shaw. "Tony has been unconditionally pardoned 3 times: In 1991 by President George H.W. Bush, in 2001 by President McCain, and back in January by our current Commander-in-Chief" she explained.

"The 2nd pardon also includes ordering the murder of 2 FBI Agents" said Fornell.

 ** _The road was all but deserted as FBI Special Agents Hannah Scott and Derrick Eckerd drove along. They were using a US Mail truck to disguise the shipment on its way to the J. Edgar Hoover Building in D.C. "Man, what we got back there, is enough to put Sonny Corinthos behind bars for the rest of his life" Agent Eckerd bragged._**

 ** _"Not only that, but with what we got, we have enough to give his son Anthony the needle" Agent Scott commented._**

 ** _"Must have been some source who gave us all that stuff on The Corinthos Family" Eckerd said._**

 ** _"From what I heard, everything he gave us was about DiNozzo" Agent Scott said. "Supposedly knew him pretty well"_**

 ** _Before Agent Eckerd could say anything else, there were several loud pops and the van started to skid. "Damn it" Eckerd said as pulled the van to the side of the road. Both Agents exited the van and checked the tires on their respective sides. "Tires are shredded" Eckerd said._**

 ** _"Same here" observed Agent Scott. Both Agents pulled out there cell phones. "I don't have a signal" she said._**

 ** _"Me either" said Agent Eckerd as some headlights approached. Using their flashlights, the agents flagged down the driver. The driver pulled over and exited her black 1968 Pontiac GTO. "Thanks, can you give one of us a lift to the nearest town" Eckerd said as the 2 agents approached the car. Using her gloved right hand, the driver quickly pulled a gun, a P99, and quickly fired 5 shots at each of the agents. With both agents on the ground, the shooter fired an addition rounds in the face of each of the agents. The shooter quickly ejected the spent clip and inserted another._**

 ** _With the 2 agents dead, the shooter holstered her weapon and approached the trunk of her car. She opened it and pulled out a gas can. She walked up to the back of the mail truck and poured the contents of the can, dowsing the boxes of files and evidence. Once the can was empty, she tossed it in. she pulled out a cigarette book and light the entire pack, tossing it inside._**

 ** _Once the flames hit the gas tank, the truck erupted into a fireball, destroying all evidence inside. Satisfied with her work, the shooter got back in her GTO, fired up 455 cubic inch, V8 engine and sped away._**

 **"Although, in DiNozzo's defense, we the one asset we did have inside the Corinthos Family did indicate that the order bypassed DiNozzo, coming directly from Corinthos himself" said Special Agent Shaw.**

 **"You have an asset inside the Corinthos Crime Family?" Paris asked.**

 **"We did" said Fornell. "US Army Captain William Hazard" he said. "Captain Hazard got pretty close to DiNozzo before his incarceration. While serving 18 months in Leavenworth, Mr. Hazard's head was blown off by a sawed-off shotgun" he said as he produced a gruesome photo of the deceased. "The shooter was former Staff Sergeant Robert Hairston, who was serving life for murdering his CO. Staff Sergeant Hairston is the cousin-in-law of Megan Martin"**

 **"Why are you telling me all this?" she asked.**

 **"Because over the past several months, the murder rate in the** Baltimore–Washington Metropolitan Area have spiked dramatically. We believe that Garretson, on the orders of DiNozzo, has been targeting the various drug gangs in and around the Baltimore–Washington Metropolitan Area. Agent Shaw and I have competing theories as to why that is" Fornell said. "I think it's so that the Corinthos Family can takeover the area's drug trade" said Fornell.

"And I think the reason has nothing to do with the drugs" said Agent Shaw. "Like Carlo Gambino and Paul Castellano before him, Sonny Corinthos operates under a "deal and die" policy when it comes to drugs. However, unlike the previous two, Sonny has never turned a blind eye to it; using his sons to enforce the policy" Jordan explained. "Case & point: Joseph "Skull" Scully Sr., former Caporégime of the Port Charles Crew. In December 1995, Sonny learned that Scully had been using Corinthos money to front his cocaine deals. Sonny sent his son to deal with it. We found Scully floating in Port Charles Harbor a couple of days later; shot right through the eye" she paused. "My personal theory is that DiNozzo is targeting the drug gangs because fewer drugs ultimately leads to less overdoses, less addicts and less crime. If there are fewer addicts, then there won't be as many crimes committed to fuel those addictions. When street crime goes down, the local LEOs back off of DiNozzo, allowing him to take over the streets with his more "acceptable" crimes" she said.

"So you think he's doing a public service" Paris surmised.

"He is" Jordan said.

"He's having people murdered" Fornell broke in.

"Nigger and Spic drug dealers" Jordan turned to him. "You know how many mothers of any and all races would be thrilled if they found out that drugs aren't gonna flow into their neighborhoods anymore?" she said. "But the fact remains, we are all Federal Agents, who have sworn to uphold the law and put the bad guys behind bars. The only way that we will ever have a shot at taking down the Corinthos Family is if we get someone else on the inside"

"We want you to be that person" said Fornell. Paris honestly didn't know what to say. "You don't have to decide anything now; take the rest of the day. We'll still be here" he said.

With that, Paris got up and left the room. She made her way down back to the main floor where she walked passed Agents Burley and Blackadder, who were escorting in a prisoner. She moved aside, letting them pass, as Agent Gibbs followed. Once they were cleared, she moved again, at the same time that Tony was stepping off the elevator. Paris silently followed him through the bullpens back towards his office. When they reached it, Tony shed his jacket, laying it on the back on his chair. As he took a seat, he grabbed a remote off his desk and switched on the TV that sat in the corner, leaving it on mute. He changed the channel to CNN. In the corner of her eye, Paris recognized the women speaking as White Press Secretary Stephanie McMahon.

"I heard a rumor about you" Paris finally spoke up.

"Oh yeah" Tony said, not looking up from his desk. "What's that?" he asked.

"Is it true that your Harry Truman's grandson?" she asked.

"Great Grandson" Tony said, looking up. "The rumor is that I'm President Truman's Great Grandson" he corrected her.

"So it's true?" she asked.

"No" Tony said.

"So then why does everyone think you are?"

"The same reason every other goddamn fucking rumor gets started; somebody got bored one day, that's all". There was no more chit chat until there was a knock on the door. Tony looked up again; Gibbs was standing in the doorway. "What's up, Gunny?" Tony asked.

"You know the case I'm working?" Gibbs asked.

"Kidnapping right?" Tony asked.

"Yeah" Gibbs said. "4-year old girl" he said. "We got the guy that took her, but he wont tell us where she is until we give him a deal" Gibbs said.

"We don't cut deals with perverts" Tony said.

"That's why I need your help" Gibbs replied.

"Come with me" Tony said to Paris as he stood up and quickly moved out of the office. Paris followed quickly behind as they moved towards the interrogation rooms. Tony threw open the door, pausing briefly to look over the man sitting there. He was a middle-aged white guy, who gave off an air of smugness.

"And who are you?" the man smiled. "Good cop or bad cop?"

"Good Cop and bad cop went home for the day" Tony said. "I a different kind of cop" he said, a look of stone on his face. Tony rushed forward, and grabbed the guy by the collar. "Move!" he screamed as he tossed the man into the hallway. he grabbed the man by the back of the neck and quickly rushed him down the hallway towards the men's room. Paris quickly followed. Tony threw the man inside against the wall. He then grabbed him again and slammed his face into the mirror. "Bar the door" he yelled. Paris quickly bolted the door. Tony then picked the man up and slammed his head off the hand dryer several times, before delivering several shots himself. "You ready to tell me where that little girl is?" he paused. When the man remained silent, he continued the beating. After several more shots, Tony got back up and delivered several hard kicks to the man's ribs. He then looked towards Paris. Paris came forward and stomped on the man's head a couple of times before delivering more kicks to his ribs.

"You ready to talk?" she said as she drew her sidearm, dropping down and placing it on the man's crotch. "Or should we make you a he-she" she said as she cocked the hammer.

"You won't do it" the man grinned a bloody grin.

"Oh well" Paris said as she pulled the trigger.

"AHHHHHHHHH!" The man screamed as the bullet past through what he claimed was his manhood.

"Now tell me where she is or the next one will be in your head" she said, moving the barrel of the gun to his temple.

Outside in the hallway, Agent Gibbs stood patiently. After 3 more guns shots ran out, he heard the bolt unlocked and the door opened. Paris and Tony both stepped out; leaving a bloody corpse on the floor behind them. "He has a basement apartment in Fairfax under an assumed name" Tony told him. Paris then handed him a piece of paper with the address.

 **2230 hours local time, 23 June 2003, Mess Hall, 8063rd M*A*S*H,** **Al-Khalaf, Iraq**

Three sat quietly as he picked at the trey of food in front of him. "How the hell can you eat that?" asked Captain Benoit as she sat down across from him.

"Oh, I've scarfed down far worse than this" he said as he took another bit of what Jeanne termed Salisbury "misteak".

"Like what?" she asked as she sipped her coffee.

"Pickled goat's bladder" Three smiled.

"You're disgusting" Jeanne said.

"You spent your last shift with your hands in our guys guts" Three said. "Speaking of which, how's my team?"

"They'll be out of action for a little while" Jeanne said as she took another sip of her coffee. "1st Sergeant Martin and Sergeant Smith both have concussions, some cracked ribs, and other minor injuries. Both should be back on their feet in a few days and back to duty next week" she said.

"And Tali?" he asked.

"Master Sergeant Colleton is another matter" Jeanne paused. "She went through quite an ordeal, one quite worse than her teammates. She will be out of action for considerably longer"

"Will she be back in time for the run to Baghdad?" Three asked.

"Yet to be determined" Jeanne said.

"You're a real help, ya know that?" Three grinned as he wolfed down the rest of his tray.

"Well, I will say this, when it comes to your table manners, you are certainly not your father" Jeanne said.

"Nope" Three said as he gulped down the rest of his coffee. "Can I see them?" he asked.

"Go right ahead" Jeanne said. "I'm gonna get another cup of coffee" she said. Three gave her a nod as he stood up and walked out, dumping his try in the bin by the door. He made his way across the compound to his Humvee, pulling a bag out of the back. He then made his way to the post-op ward, where his teammates were resting. He made his way inside, where he began to return to his teammates their weapons, both their rifles and side arms.

 _If said at the proper pace and tempo, the United States Army Ranger Creed takes 28 Seconds to recite_

 _R_ _ecognizing that I volunteered as a Ranger, fully knowing the hazards of my chosen profession, I will always endeavor to uphold the prestige, honor, and high esprit de corps of the Rangers._

 _A_ _cknowledging the fact that a Ranger is a more elite soldier who arrives at the cutting edge of battle by land, sea, or air, I accept the fact that as a Ranger my country expects me to move further, faster and fight harder than any other soldier._

 _N_ _ever shall I fail my comrades. I will always keep myself mentally alert, physically strong and morally straight and I will shoulder more than my share of the task whatever it may be, one-hundred-percent and then some._

 _G_ _allantly will I show the world that I am a specially selected and well-trained soldier. My courtesy to superior officers, neatness of dress and care of equipment shall set the example for others to follow._

 _E_ _nergetically will I meet the enemies of my country. I shall defeat them on the field of battle for I am better trained and will fight with all my might. Surrender is not a Ranger word. I will never leave a fallen comrade to fall into the hands of the enemy and under no circumstances will I ever embarrass my country._

 _R_ _eadily will I display the intestinal fortitude required to fight on to the Ranger objective and complete the mission though I be the lone survivor_

After he finished returning their weapons, Three quietly made his exit, as quietly as he had entered.

 **1800 hours, 23 June 2003, NCIS Headquarters, Washington Navy Yard, Washington D.C.**

It was just before 1800 when Gibbs and his team returned with the girl. Tony and Paris were waiting for him in the bullpen. "She ok?" Tony asked.

"Not yet, but she will be. Thanks to the two of you" he replied. "Ducky figures that she wouldn't have made it much longer. The 2 of you probably saved her life" he added.

"All in a days work" Tony said as he uncrossed his arms and pushed himself off the desk he was leaning on. "I'll see ya in the morning, Gunny" Tony said as he headed for the stairs.

"Agent Gibbs, can I ask you a question?" she asked.

"What?" Gibbs replied.

"What's the problem between Agent DiNozzo and Agent Fornell?" she asked. "It's like they hate each other" she added.

"They do" Gibbs said. "Have you ever heard of Robert Hanssen?"

"Yeah" Paris nodded. "He's one of the biggest traitor's in our nation's history"

"Agent Fornell was his partner and best friend" Gibbs said. "DiNozzo was part of the team that took him down" Gibbs said.

"Tony was with the FBI?" she asked.

"No" Gibbs said. "They brought in DiNozzo for the take down" Gibbs said. "Fornell takes it personally, against DiNozzo" he said.

"Thank you, Agent Gibbs" she said.

"Sure" Gibbs said as he walked away. Once he was gone, Paris made her way up to the conference room, where Agents Fornell and Shaw were waiting for her.

"Ah, Agent Summerskill, we've been waiting" Fornell said.

"So I see" Paris said.

"Have you given any thought to our offer?" Fornell asked.

"I have" Paris said. "And I can tell you that this morning, Agent DiNozzo violated US Code Article 32, Section 1203, paragraph A" Paris said. "And I will gladly testify to that effect" she said.

"What is US Code Article 32, Section 1203, paragraph A?" Fornell asked as Agent Shaw began laughing behind him. "What?" Fornell asked as he turned to her.

"US Code Article 32, Section 1203, paragraph A is…" Agent Shaw paused.

"Parking an official vehicle of the Government of the United States of America more than 12 inches from the curb" Paris said.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" Fornell said as he stood up, throwing his chair back.

"Not at all" Paris told him. "A couple times in fact" she added.

"You're pathetic" Fornell yelled at her. "No better than all the rest of them.

"No Agent Fornell, you're the one who's pathetic" Paris told her. "I had a little conversation with Agent Gibbs. He clued me in on the beef between you and Agent DiNozzo" she told him. "You were partnered with Robert fucking Hanssen. Are you fucking kidding me? Even if Agent DiNozzo was a bad as you say he is, which he most certainly isn't, it would even begin to pale in comparison to the damage your best friend did to this country" she said. "Have a nice life" she said as she stormed out.

 **1930 hours, 23 June 2003, The Gun Runner, Alexandria, Virginia.**

"Thanks" Tony said as the bartender handed Tony a bottle of Budweiser. Tucked along the Alexandria Waterfront on the Potomac River was The Gun Runner, which was run by Blaine Parker, a former Marine and Vietnam Veteran who had crossed paths with Sonny, Wes and other members of their team numerous times. Tony stepped away from the bar and made his way to his usual table in the back of the bar.

"Can I get you anything else?" asked a waitress who had come over to him.

"Yeah, get me a bowl of chili, will ya please" he said.

"Coming right up" the young girl nodded. Tony sat there along for a few minutes before a familiar face entered the bar. Tony waived her back.

"Where's your detail?" he asked as she slid into the booth adjacent to him, dropping her purse on his outstretched leg.

"They're outside" Meg replied. "Scotch and soda" she said as the waitress handed Tony his bowl of Chili. "It's like 80-someodd degrees out and your eating chili?" Meg asked.

"Get off my back" Tony mumbled, his mouth full of the aforementioned chili.

"Oh, you'll never guess what came in the mail today?" she said as she reached into her purse.

"Please tell me that it isn't my divorce papers, the ones that I'm totally not gonna sign" he said.

"Isn't Tea handling your divorce?" she asked.

"Yeah" Tony nodded. "What happens when I refuse to sign?" he asked.

"I'll take her a hell of a lot longer, but she'll get it, eventually" Meg warned him. "Especially if she goes after your "hidden assets"" she warned.

"And if she does?" Tony asked. "I have billions in unreported offshore accounts, that's a long prison stint if she blabs about them" she said.

"Even if she blabs, the IRS will never find them, making it her word against yours" Meg said as the waitress brought her, her drink. "And actually, those accounts you so refer to are actually in Sonny's name, not yours" Meg said. "Other than your personal assets and bank account, which like my husband's is quite pitiful, you have very little"

"I have Vella La Cava" he said.

"Which you own through a shell corporation" Meg said. "Again, legally speaking, the island is owned by Antonio Falconeri, an Italian National from Palermo" she said.

"And so it shall remain" Tony grinned as he took a sip of beer. "So what came in the mail?" he asked.

"This" she said as she handed him a white envelope. Tony wiped off his hands and took it from her, pulling out the contents, laughing as he read it over. "You are cordially to the Wedding of Brigadier General Michael Santino Corinthos Jr., U.S.A ret. and Commander Margaret Elizabeth Poole, U.S.N. ret." he read.

"How many marriages will this make now?" she asked.

"You know how many" he replied.

"I know, I just love hearing you say it" she smiled.

"6 ok, this will be his 6th marriage. You fucking happy now?"

"Always" Meg said as the payphone on the wall next to her rang. "Yeah" she said as she grabbed it. "Right" she said as she held out the phone for Tony. "It's Jordan" she said.

"Speak" Tony said, taking the phone.

" _She turned us down flat_ " said a female voice.

"You're sure?" Tony asked.

" _Apparently, she asked Gibbs about the, well let's just call it the problem between you and Fornell_ " she told him. " _After she found out that Fornell was Hanssen's partner, she didn't want anything to do with him_ " she said.

"Well you've certainly earned your pay for today Agent Shaw" Tony smiled.

" _You need anything else_?" she asked.

"Nah, that's it for now" Tony told her. "Have a goodnight, Jordie" he told her.

" _Goodnight boss_ " Jordan said. Meg shook her head as Tony passed her the phone so she could hang it up.

"You do realize that I just watched you commit a felony" she said.

"The same felony you committed last month when you convinced Blaine to install the damn thing" he said.

"What did she want?"

"She wanted to let me know that my new probie turned down Fornell's offer to be his mole in NCIS" he said.

"You don't really think that Fornell replaced his old partner do you?" Meg asked.

"I don't know" Tony shrugged. "I'm just glad that I don't have to kill her" Tony said.

"You're a bad man" Meg grinned.

"While working for President Truman, my grandfather shot a railroad engineer who refused to keep the President's train moving" Tony said. "Someone has to bury the bodies" he said solemnly.

"You seem almost proud of it" she observed.

"Over the past 20 years, I've helped Sonny sell weapons to various entities across the world, from the Mujahedeen in Afghanistan during the Soviet Invasion, to the Quebecois National Army up north, ETA in the Basque Region of Spain, and god knows how many millions of dollars in arms we've shipped to IRA" he paused. "And now the Republic of Quebec and Republic of Ireland are free and independent nations. I'd call that a win" he added. "They'll come a time in your life when you realize that you have to do the wrong thing for the right reasons" he paused. "Look at the Kursk Bombing for example"

"over 500 people were killed in that attack" she said.

"And I brought about an end to the Soviet Union" Tony pointed out.

"Why Kursk?" Meg asked. "What did you have to do with it?" she asked. "Oh God Tony, you didn't?"

"No" Tony shook his head. "I'm just using it as an example"

 __ _"5 minutes" Tony said, checking his watch. After making there exit from the sewer system, Tony and Liz setup an overwatch position on the 4_ _th_ _floor of an apartment building approximately a mile away from the target._

 _"So this is it" she said, a hint of nervousness in her voice._

 _"This is it" Tony said as he pull a pair of binoculars from his pack. "3 minutes" he said. "Get ready" he said, as he prepped the detonator._

 _"What's the time-delay?" she asked._

 _"5 second delay" he said. "Ok" he paused, checking his watch. "Countdown from 60 seconds" he said. "Here we go" he said. This was it, if they succeeded, it would be one hell of a Christmas present. "10…9…8…7…6…"_

 _"5…4…" Liz continued._

 _"3…2…1…" Tony slammed on the detonator. Then it happened. The building and the bunker below it, exploded into a massive fireball. The shockwave blew out windows for miles around. It was so strong, that even a mile away, 3 stories up, the shockwave is powerful enough to knock Tony and Liz off their feet, slamming them both to the floor._

 _"Ahh" Tony said, grabbing his head. Both of them were cut up from the broken glass._

 _"Next time, 2 miles" Liz said as she pushed herself up._

 _"Right" Tony replied as Liz walked over to the window. "Holy shit" she said, looking down at the landscape below. Tony got up and joined her. "What have we done?" she added. The KGB Regional Headquarters had been turned into a smoldering crater. There was no way anyone could have survived that._

 _"We've just ended the Cold War" Tony said._

"Just an example" he repeated as he finished his beer and signaled for another. "So how's the estate tax thing going?" he asked trying to change the subject.

"They're going for a full repeal" she said.

"You know what the President has to do right?" Tony said as the waitress brought them another round of drinks. "Article 1, Section 7"

"A veto?" Meg asked. "It's an election year, and you want the President to oppose a tax cut?"

"No oppose, veto" Tony said. "And he hasn't vetoed a bill yet, which makes this one more serious"

"He's only been in office for 7 months, what do you expect?" Meg asked.

"Get him to veto the damn bill" Tony said. "Also, get my fucking subpoena quashed" he growled.

"I may already have" Meg said. "Hey, Blaine, turn that up" she yelled.

"You got Mrs. Martin" Blaine replied as he turned up the TV, which was tuned to CNN. Speaking was Congressman Duncan L. Hunter, Republican of California and Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee.

 _"This is an election year, and in some states the voting begins in less than 6 months. People deserve answers now, and not at the snail's pace of Barack Obama's hand-picked prosecutor…so tonight I am announcing that the House Armed Services Committee will be gaveled to session to begin holding hearings into the matter of then-Captain Barack Obama's conduct while a member of the United States Army JAG Corps. We will also be looking into the possible abuse of power, use of taxpayer money, and political influence used by this administration…"_

They didn't listen to the rest. "To the wrong thing" Meg said as she raised her glass.

"For the right reason" Tony finished as they clinked glasses.

 **A/N- PLEASE REVIEW!**

 **(Liz's voice)- Next time on "28 Seconds: Blood & Iron"-**

 **In Iraq, Three and Dante clash over the tactics employed by their Kurdish Allies, forcing Lieutenants Galtier and Hagan to intervene. Later, Three questions Deeks' commitment to Tali. In Port Charles, Allen and Liz face negative backlash after Allen's primary opponent releases an anti-war ad. In D.C., after the President vetoes the estate tax repeal, the White House faces the possibility of an override. Meanwhile, Tony and Paris watch on as they attempt to help the President strike a deal. Finally, in Israel, Austin and Liat's date is suddenly and violently interrupted.**

 **A/N-2- Also, if anyone is interested, I'm still looking for what I call a "muse tester" for this story. Just PM me if you are interested.**


	6. Party Night

**Chapter 6**

 **Party Night**

 **0545 hours local time, 30 June 2003, Ramadi, Iraq.**

With pinpoint precision, the artillery erupted at exactly 0545 on the money. Three knew because he was looking at his watch as the first rounds screamed in. "Keep your heads down boys!" Three yelled as he crouched behind a wall that used to be a whole lot taller. Coalition Forces had spent the past week forcibly removing the Iraqi defenders from their positions inside the city of Ramadi. This morning, they would be making their final push against the south eastern section of the city. These defenders were all that stood between the CDS and Fallujah. Rifle in hand, Three ran crouched over to Lieutenant Hagan's position in a fox hole not too far away. Three slid in next to him.

"Staff Sergeant" the LT nodded.

"Sir" Three returned the nod. "Is it just me, or does this all seem too easy?" Three asked.

"This is their last stand inside the city" Tilden told him. "G2 says that they've made strong points out of the universities on the outskirts of the city. When we get there, we'll see just how easy it is"

"Is it true that the French had sent in more heavy equipment through Syria?" Three asked.

"Unfortunately, that is very much true. AMX-30s" he said. "Lucky for us, they won't stand a chance against anything we've got"

"What happens when _we_ run into em?" Three asked.

"Pray" the Lieutenant grinned. "Oh, and in case you're interested, your uncle's unit will be on our right flank" he told his younger colleague.

"Wonderful" Three said.

"What's the beef between the two of you?" Tilden asked.

"I honestly don't know" Three said. "The last time we spoke was after Basra, and he wouldn't even look me in the eye. I don't know what his fucking problem is" Three said as he lit a cigarette.

"Just keep it civil" the Lieutenant advised. "Also, the Peshmerga have slipped in 2 regiments on our right flank"

"Good; from what my father's told me, those Kurds are hell fighters" Three said.

"Just make sure the men don't confuse them for Iraqis, they'll be carrying AKs and RPGs, so heads up"

"I'll take care of it, Sir"

"We advance with the tanks, so keep an eye out for RPGs or anything else that could spoil our day"

"Yes Sir" Three nodded. Above them, the barrage began to lift. "I better get back, good luck Sir"

"Good luck Sergeant" they said as they shook hands. Three quickly rushed back to his own foxhole.

"The barrage is lifting boys, get ready to move!" he yelled. About a minute later, the last shell came careening in. behind them, the engines of the Tanks roared to life. "That's it boys, before they do it to us, let's do it to them!" Three yelled as he waived them on. The men advanced alongside the tanks, the idea that the men would cover the tanks from RPGs and any other nasty surprises the Iraqis had waiting. Three and his men had barely moved an 1/8th of a mile before several machine guns opened up on them from the out lying Ramadi's 2 universities, from which the Iraqis were mounting their defense. The tanks were quick to dispatch the machine guns, leveling a couple of the buildings in the process. As the advance continued, Three watched as Lieutenant Hagan called in an airstrike on one of the larger buildings. It was only a few minutes later that a pair of F-15 Eagles screamed overhead, dropping Mark 84 Bombs. The resulting explosion leveled not only the target building, but a few of the smaller buildings around it. The Iraqis deployed a few RPG teams, but they were quickly cut down by the ground pounders and the LAVs that were following behind the armor. By the time the advance reached the outer most buildings, it was clear that the Iraqis' heart was no longer in the fight, as even the Republican Guard units began to flee. The order came down that Coalition forces were to hold once they had secured the 2 universities, and to begin breach and clear tactics to secure the buildings. Within another hour or so, all remaining buildings had been cleared, netting a couple dozen prisoners, who were being guarded by the Kurdish Peshmerga fighters. All was going well until a new round of gunfire broke out. Fearing that his men had uncovered some hold outs, Lieutenant Hagan came running over, only to find all of the Iraqis prisoners, dead; executed by the Peshmerga. He was also stunned to find Three, his weapon in his hands, looking on.

"What the hell just happened?" Tilden asked.

"What's it look like?" Three asked as he lit up a cigarette.

"Jesus Christ Three" Tilden said. "They were POWs" he paused. "You intentionally left them with the Pesh, didn't you?"

"Can you blame me?" Three replied. "Saddam has been oppressing and murdering their people since he took power" Three said as he blew smoke through his nose.

"Don't let this happen again, Staff Sergeant" Tilden ordered.

"Yes Sir" Three said as more shots rang out in the background. Tilden gave him a look. "What?" Three asked. Tilden gave him a look. "Ok, so maybe there were some more prisoners" Three said as he slung his rifle over his shoulder. In the background, the shots continued, and only ended when the shouting of angry voices became louder than the shots themselves. Tilden and Three rushed over and came upon a shouting match between a group of US Soldiers and Peshmerga fighters, Republican Guard dead littering the ground around them. Lieutenant Hagan pointed to one of the Americans who were in a shoving match with one of Peshmerga fighters.

"Isn't that…"

"Yeah" Three said as he cut him off before rushing over. He quickly rushed over and got in between the 2 men. "Enough, God damn it!" he yelled as he shoved them both back. Three yelled as the other Pesh fighters to restrain their comrade while he pushed back on the other man. "What the fuck is your problem, PFC Falconeri?" Three yelled.

"They're prisoners, they're killing them!" Dante yelled.

"So what?" Three said.

"They're executing them, but you would know all about that, wouldn't you?" Dante snapped.

"What's that supposed to mean, huh?" Three said as he gave his younger Uncle a hard shove. Dante replied by clipping Three in the jaw with a haymaker. Three returned the gesture in kind. "You fuckin little shit, I'm a fucking Sergeant, you little motherfucker" Three yelled as they wrestled each other to the ground.

 **0930 hours local time, 30 June 2003, US 6** **th** **Army, Kuwait City, Kuwait.**

"You know how many fucking witnesses saw Staff Sergeant DiNozzo and Private First Class Falconeri go at it?" yelled Lieutenant General Irving W. Morrell, Commanding General of the US 6th Army and of CDS Coalition Forces in Iraq.

"Mon General, both Private Falconeri and _Sergent_ DiNozzo are young men, with tempers to match" replied Senior Lieutenant Christopher Galtier of the AROQ (Army of the Republic of Quebec) Special Forces Battalion. The Senior Lieutenant was also, at least for the moment, the Field Commander of the Delta Force; answerable only to Colonel Colleton in North Carolina. "And may I also point out that it was not my man who threw the first punch" he added.

"You may not" the General replied. "And another thing, these incidents with Iraqis prisoners, they must stop!" he barked as he slammed his hand down on the desk.

"Mon General, the Peshmerga fighters are our allies. They're people have been under Saddam's boots for over 20 years, you cannot expect them to, what is it that your Dr. King said…?" he have a questioned look on his face.

"Turn the other cheek" Morrell said as he took a cigar from his humidor, before offering the box to Lieutenant Galtier. The Lieutenant nodded graciously as he took one.

"Do you see my point, Mon General?" he asked as he leaned forward to get a lit from the General.

"Unfortunately, I do" Morrell replied. "Look, whatever it is that got these butting heads, it has to stop. If you recall, officially anyway, The Unit does not exist"

"English may not be my first language, Mon General, but I am no idiot" Chris told him.

"Then keep Staff Sergeant DiNozzo in line, God damn it!" Morrell yelled.

"I will do my best Sir, but the Staff Sergeant is his father's son"

"Yes, I am oh too well aware of that" Morrell said. "You show a great deal of respect to the DiNozzo family"

"He's a great deal of respect for mine" Chris replied. "For 2 years before the US intervention, Mr. DiNozzo supplied arms, ammunition and medical supplies to my friends and I"

"Those friends being the Quebecois National Army, Quebec's version of the IRA"

"Precisely" Chris nodded. "If your Justice Department ever got a full rundown on just how many people Tony has done business with, well…" he paused "Well let's just say that would be quite something"

"Tony DiNozzo has been running guns since he was in High School as part of Operation Cyclone" the General said. "I was only at the Point back then, but it was an open secret that we were running guns to the Mujahedeen" Morrell told him. "But back to my point, keep Staff Sergeant DiNozzo on a tight leash"

"By your order, Mon General" the Lieutenant said as he stood and snapped to attention.

"Dismissed" Morrell nodded. Lieutenant Galtier did an about-face and made his exit. He slipped on his patrol cap as he exited the outer office and stepped into the hallway, where Sergeant 1st Class Deeks and Staff Sergeant Weston were waiting for him.

"Deeks, get up to Ramadi and find out from Three directly what the hell happened" Galtier ordered. "Weston, have Master Sergeant Gardocki assemble the rest of team. We're moving out tonight". They both nodded.

 **1115 hours local time, 30 June 2003, Pre-Op Ward, 8063** **rd** **M*A*S*H, Al-Khalaf, Iraq.**

"Been brawling again?" Jeanne asked, 2 cotton swabs in the corner of her mouth as she scrubbed the abrasions on Three's face with rubbing alcohol.

"Shouldn't you be in surgery?" Three asked, ducking the question.

"We're splitting the load with the 8055th" she said. "And you didn't answer my question"

"I got into it with my Uncle" Three said. The brawl between he and his uncle had managed to re-open the gash in his forehead that he had gotten the week before.

"Which one?" Jeanne asked.

"Private 1st Class Dante Falconeri" Three said, a slight hint of disgust in his voice.

"Ah yes, the Air Assault boy, if I remember correctly" she said as she took one of the swabs and used it to coat his wound in antibiotic cream"

"Ah, that stings" he whined.

"Oh grow up" Jeanne replied. "I know that he's your uncle, but doesn't Dante know that it's a violation of the UCMJ to strike a superior?"

"He has his father's temper"

"And you have yours" Jeanne said as she applied the bandage.

"Hey, I'm no saint, but when it comes to my uncles, I don't know ya know" he shrugged. "I mean, Rick is ok, but the rest of 'em are all fuckin hot heads"

"It isn't easy, being the son of a powerful man. I oughta know, I'm the daughter of one"

"So how are my teammates?" Three asked.

"They're on the mend" Jeanne said as she taped the bandage down. "We sent 1st Sergeant Martin and Sergeant Smith down to Kuwait City to recuperate" she told him.

"And Master Sergeant Colleton?"

"She's still here" Jeanne said. "She took a rather nasty beating at the hands of these bastards. I'm afraid she's still got a long road ahead of her"

"I hear that" Three said. "I was cooped up for months after I got blown up" he said. "Where is she?"

"Post-Op" Jeanne said. "Given who she is, we offered to move her to the VIP Quarters, but she refused. Something about DiNozzo's rules…"

"Rule 21: "In front, never behind"" Three said. "It means…"

"Yeah, I got it" Jeanne said.

"Can I see her?" he asked.

"I don't see why not" Jeanne said. "Follow me". Three jumped down from the table and followed her outside. They walked along as sand blew in their faces.

"I hate this fucking country" Three growled.

"Language please" Jeanne said as they walked into the Post-Op ward. It was then that Three realized they were walking into the opposite side of the same building that they had just left, something that annoyed Three to no end. They walked through the double doors into the Post-Op Ward. Tali's bed was the closet to the door. "I'll be in my quarters if you need me" Jeanne said before turning to leave. Three nodded as he walked over to Tali, who was resting comfortably. She looked up as Three walked over.

"Hey" she smiled. "What are you doing here?" she asked.

"Just passing through" Three replied as he gave her a kiss on the forehead.

"What happened here?" she said as she ran her finger along the bandage on his head.

"The stitches popped lose"

"You didn't get stitches" Tali called his bluff.

"Yes I did"

"No you didn't" Tali repeated. "I asked Jeanne how you were a few days ago" she told him. "You've been brawling" she surmised. "This is the part were you tell me what happened"

"I got into it with Dante"

"Your Uncle?" Three nodded. "I thought you two were close?" she asked.

"We got into it when the Kurds started executing the IRG prisoners. Dante didn't like that I wasn't doing anything to stop them" he explained. "Enough about me" he said as he pulled up a chair. How are you?" he asked.

"She's supposed to be resting" said a man in white lab coat as he stood over the bed. "Can I help you Staff Sergeant…?"

"DiNozzo" Three said. "And who the hell are you?"

"Colonel Thomas Asher, I'm the CO around these parts"

"Well congrats for you" Three replied, to which Tali lightly smacked his hand. "Right" Three muttered. "What can I do for you, Colonel?" he asked.

"Master Sergeant Colleton is supposed to be resting" the Colonel told him.

"I cleared the visit with Dr. Benoit" Three said.

"Of course you did" the Colonel replied. "Keep it brief" he said before walking away.

"Well isn't he a wonderful ray of sunshine" Three muttered as he turned back to Tali.

"What's the latest?" she asked.

"A CDS Armor Task Force is readying to blast its way through Fallujah. Despite being the Iraqi Berchtesgaden, it seems that the Republican Guard has little interest in actually defending it. It looks like they're gonna dig in along the line, and use Baghdad as the lynchpin" he said. "The line" wasn't really anything that you could point out on the map, but rather it was where if one crossed it, you would be moving from Shiite territory into Sunni territory. While the Shiites were largely either supportive or indifferent to the CDS Invasion, the Sunnis, were very much opposed and were rallying around Saddam's government. "G-2 says that all able-bodied males are being conscripted in order to oppose us" Three said. "There's more, but not right now" he said. "The walls do have ears" he said as he leaned over and gave her another kiss on the forehead. "Get some rest" he told her.

 **0530 hours, 30 June 2003, Colleton Residence, Base Housing, Fort Bragg, North Carolina.**

Colonel Thomas Colleton was still fast asleep when his cell phone buzzed on his night stand. With a grunt, he sat up and reached over to answer it. "Colleton" he answered.

" _Tom, its Irv_ " a voice told him.

"What can I do for you, General?" Tom asked as he instinctively stood up.

" _Ramadi is ours_ " General Morrell replied. " _But as I'm sure you can guess, that ain't why I'm calling_ " he paused. " _Your man DiNozzo got into it with a paratrooper_ "

"Private 1st Class Dante Falconeri?" Tom asked.

" _You know em?"_

"He's Three's Uncle" Tom told him. "And this sure as shit ain't the first time they've gotten into it"

"So _your Exec tells me. Your reporter Girlfriend ain't in earshot is she?_ " the General asked. Tom looked over his shoulder; she was still sound asleep.

"She's still asleep"

" _I can't stress this enough Tom; if Three gets into it with someone like this again, I'm shitcanning his six back home_ "

"Understood Sir" Tom replied as the line went dead. "These DiNozzo are gonna be the death of me" he muttered to himself.

 **0600 hours, 30 June 2003, NCIS Headquarters, Washington Navy Yard, Washington D.C.**

Tony was at his desk, looking over a report when Paris knocked on the door. Tony checked his watch. "0600, right on time" he said.

"I'm a quick learner, Sir" she said.  
"Yes, I can see that" he said.

"What are you reading?" she asked.

"An old open case file" he said as he closed it and got up to put it back in his safe, which was tucked behind a large portrait of President George H.W. Bush that hung on the wall.

"How long has it been open?" she asked.

"6 years" Tony replied as he slammed the safe shut and spun the dial.

"You ever gonna close it?"

"Someday" Tony told her. "Probie, what in your arsenal when it comes to formal wear?" he asked.

"Sir?" she looked confused.

"We have an engagement this evening, formal attire is required"

"I have something, I think. How formal are we talking?"

"Dinner for Nobel Laureates, or something like that"

"Where?"

"1600 Pennsylvania Avenue"

"The White House"

"Boy, nothing gets past you, does it" he smiled.

"Sir, I know why you're going, considering that last Friday you played basketball with the President" she paused. "But why am I going?" she asked.

"That is for me to know" Tony told her. "You can secure for the day at 1630, but be back her no later than 1900. We're due at White House at 1930"  
"I'll be here" she nodded. After Paris stepped out, Tony's hardline rang.

"DiNozzo" he answered.

" _Howdy MB_ " said a thick Texan accent.

"Don't call me that"

" _Aw, come on now_ …"

"Ok, how much of that is actually you?"

" _Most of it_ " she lied.

"My ass" Tony chucked as he leaned back and put his feet up. "What can I do for ya, Mrs. Martin?" he asked.

" _I expect that cute behind of yours to be here no later than 1935 hours_ "

"I shall be there with bells on"

" _In uniform?"_

"No Mam" Tony replied.

" _The President would like to express his wishes that you show up in uniform_ " she told him. " _As a recipient of the Medal of Honor, you are entitled to_ …"

"I know what I am entitled to do" Tony cut her off. "And it would not be my pleasure to wear it"

" _You're determined to make this as difficult as possible, aren't you_?"

"Yes Mam" Tony grinned.

" _Just be here, ok_?"

"I already said I'd be there" Tony told her. "Jesus, it's just after 0600, are you at the office?"

"I'm still at home" Meg informed him.

"I'll see ya tonight" Tony smiled brightly as he hung up.

 **0735 hours, 30 June 2003, Quartermaine Residence, Port Charles, New York.**

"She calls me a coward and the war criminal" AJ said as he put down the morning paper. "And she's up in the polls, what the hell is going on?" he asked.

"Mayor Lomax has a cult of personality among the Liberals in this town" Liz replied as she put a plate of eggs in front of him.

"But the New York 25th hasn't elected a Democrat since the Civil War"

"True, this is a Conservative area, meaning that the Democrats are more liberal" Liz said as she put down her own plate. "Why am I telling you this? You grew up here"

"I left town in 1986 and never looked back" AJ said.

"Yeah, you might want to not say that when you're on the stump. We already look like a couple of carpetbaggers as it is"

"You know you are so helpful" he told her sarcastically, his mouth full of eggs.

"One would think that table manners would have been part of your training at the Point"

"One would think" AJ said as he took a sip of his coffee.

"Allen James Quartermaine Jr., you will eat properly or not at all" she threatened him.

"You sound like my mother" he ribbed. Liz flipped him off. "The mother of my children, ladies and gentlemen" he grinned.

"Speaking of which, they'll be up in a few minutes" she said. "What do you have planned for today?" she asked.

"Campaign shit, what else?" he told her, earning himself a slap to the head from his wife. "Thank you that was very constructive" he told her.

"Any time hun" she grinned.

"Actually, I'm speaking to the American Legion and the VFW today. That is, if I can get past Lomax's legions of protestors"

"In the end, it'll come back to bit her in the ass" Liz said.

"And what an ugly ass it is" AJ joked.

"Yeah, I wouldn't repeat out loud" Liz advised him. "You gonna make any comment on the Estate Tax repeal?" she asked. "You are a Quartermaine after all, even if your father disinherited you"

"Thanks for reminding me"

"I'm just saying, coming out against it would definitely curry you favor with the Port Charles' liberal crowd"

"This is a conservative-leaning district. They'll crucify me if I oppose a tax cut" he said.

"Tie to being fiscally responsible" she told him. "The United States has a war to fight, and whether we like it or not, wars cost money"

"What would I do without you?" he asked as he leaned back in his chair, giving her a bright smile.

"You?" she said as she plopped down in his lap, slipping her arms around his neck. "You'd be dead" she said as she gave him a kiss.

 **1525 hours local time, 30 June 2003, 8063** **rd** **M*A*S*H, Al-Khalaf, Iraq**

Three was in the shower, scraping off the most recently layer of Iraq from his skin, when the door opened and the 8063rd's company clerk, Corporal Spinelli came in. "Staff Sergeant DiNozzo, Sir" he said.

"I'm an enlisted man, Corporal; don't sir me, I work for a living"

"Yes Sir" the Corporal said.

"You're wearing on my nerves, PFC" Three said as he lathered up.

"But Sir, I'm a Corporal, not a PFC"

"You call me Sir, one more time and you will be" Three threatened.

"But…"

"Scram, God damn it!" Three yelled. The Corporal bolted for the door, nearly running over Captain Matt Hunter, one of Jeanne's tentmates in the process.

"Was that really necessary?" the Captain asked as he took the stall next to Three's

"Entirely" Three said.

"Figures" the Captain replied as he turned on the water. Back when the 8063rd was deployed to Afghanistan, Captain Hunter had been tentmates with Jeanne's predecessor, Navy Lieutenant Britt Westbourne, who was also Three's Aunt. "So, what brings you back to this rat hole, Staff Sergeant?" he asked.

"Master Sergeant Colleton" Three replied. "She's been laid up here for a while"

"She should be cleared within a week or so" the Captain informed him. "However, as to when she'll be able to return to full duty, I can't speak to that"

"Tali's one tough cookie, she'll be back before ya know it" Three assured him as he shut off the water. He ran a towel over his hair and threw on his robe as he headed for the door. When he opened it, a woman was standing there, also in a babe robe.

"Hey, this is the women's shower!" she protested.

"I waited as long as I could" Three flashed her a grin as he stepped past her.

A few minutes later, with his clothes back on, Three was standing in the compound, lighting a cigarette as a Humvee pulled up. "Aw, fuck me" Three growled under his breath as the driver killed the engine. "Marty" Three gave Deeks a nod as he stepped out.

"Howitzer is looking for you" Deeks told him. "He got his six chewed out this morning by the brass" he added.

"What did we do now?" Three asked.

"Not "we", you" Deeks pointed at him. "That scuff up with your Uncle"

"That's between me and Dante" Three replied.

"Don't matter, Howitzer wants your ass back at the new FOB in Ramadi" he said.

"This the only reason you're here?" Three asked.

"Yeah, why?" Deeks replied.

"Cause your wife is lying in the hospital over there!" Three yelled as pointed to the Post-Op Ward. Three tried to keep himself as calm as possible. Deeks began to protest, but he was quickly cutoff. "Look, I don't know what kind of fucked up arrangement the two of you have in your marriage, but nothing changes the fact the woman with whom you exchanged vows with is on her back right now. She was beaten and tortured at the hands of those IRG assholes, and right now she…"he paused. "She needs her husband" Three told him. Three remained silent as he watched Deeks get back into his Humvee.

"Colonel Colleton expects a full report up on today's events. Morrell is throwing you on a flight out of Amman at 2200. Get packed, you're going stateside" Deeks told him as he drove off. Three remained quietly stunned.

 **1935 hours, 30 June 2003, Deputy White House Chief of Staff Jared Franklin's office, West Wing, White House, Washington D.C.**

"I don't get it" Ellen told him as she stood in front of him, tying his bowtie. "Why don't you just get a pre-tied one?" she asked.

"It's not the same" Jared replied.

"It looks the same"

"At the end of the night you wanna be able to pull it open like Tony Bennett" Jared smiled.

"You honestly think that a bowtie is the only thing standing between you and Tony Bennett?' Tony asked as he leaned against the door frame.

"He's also shorter than I am" Jared said as he got off his desk.

"Paris, this is Jared Franklin, President Obama's Deputy Chief of Staff. Jared, this is NCIS Probational Agent Paris Summerskill"

"Nice to meet you" Paris said as they shook hands.

"Likewise" Jared replied. "You're in a tux" he said as he turned to Tony, who gave him a look in return. "Never mind" he said as his landline rang.

"Jared Franklin's office" Ellen answered. "Ok, got it" she said before hanging up. "It's here" she said.

"You coming with?" Jared asked Tony.

"That's why I'm here" he said as they left the office, headed towards the Oval.

Meanwhile, Press Secretary Stephanie McMahon and Communications Director Will McAvoy were also headed towards the Oval Office. "Quiz me" she said.

"I don't think I will"

"Come on, quiz me"

"Steph, you're a lively conversationalist; you won't have any problem…"

"Quiz me" she cut him off. Will rolled his eyes.

"Who are you sitting next to?" he asked.

"Dr. Kary B. Mullis, recipient of the 1993 Nobel Prize for chemistry. Born in 1944 in North Carolina, he earned his bachelors degree from Georgia Tech and his Ph.D. in biochemistry from U.C. Berkeley" she said as they walked into the outer Oval Office.

"Well, as long as he only wants to talk about where he's from, where he went to school and what his name is, you'll be fine" Rex smiled from behind his desk. Like all of the other men standing around him, including his father, he was dressed in a tux as well.

At the same time, Meg and the President were outside, walking along the Colonnade to the Oval Office. "7 Republicans who RSVP'd for tonight are suddenly not coming" meg advised him.

"There was a reason they had to cancel" the President said.

"Emergency meeting of the Republican Leadership" she said.

"Ok Chief of Staff, what do you think they're gonna be talking about?" the President asked.

"I think they're gonna throw you a surprise party" Meg told him.

"Ya know, I don't know why you're wasting your time as my Chief of Staff; with jokes like that you could be headlining in Vegas" the President's voice dripping with sarcasm.

"You asked" Meg replied with a smile.

"They could have left after the entre" the President said. "Have you seen the menu? That's an awfully steep price just to override my veto" he joked as they walked into the Oval.

"Maybe they think they have the votes" Meg said.

"You think something has changed in the past few hours that we don't know about?" the President asked as he stood behind his desk.

"They just sent the bill over 5 minutes ago, they know that you're gonna veto this thing, so why schedule an override tonight? Why risk it?"

"To make me think twice about vetoing it" the President replied.

"Are you?"

"No" the President stated confidently. "Bring them in" he said.

"Rex!" Meg yelled. A few seconds later, the door opened and the staff stepped in. Jared, Ellen, Will and Stephanie all stood off to the side, and were quickly joined by Gabby Giffords, the Deputy Communications Director.

"Mr. President, this Probational Special Agent Paris Summerskill of NCIS. She was assigned to me last week by Director Morrow" Tony said.

"It's my honor, Mr. President" Paris blushed as she went to curtsy before Tony stopped her.

"Curtsies are for Kings and Queens my dear; for me, a simple handshake will do" the President smiled as he held out his hand. Paris blushed even brighter as they shook. "So they stuck you with DiNozzo?"

"Yes Sir" she replied.

"You have my pity" the President smiled. "I'm just kidding with ya" he waived it off. "I know he may not look it, but Tony here is the best Agent on or off the Government payroll. You pay attention to him, and you'll go far" he said. "He's a good guy… for a Republican" he joked.

"Thank you Sir" Tony grinned. "Rexie Boy, where is this thing?" he yelled to his son.

"On its way up from the Executive Clerk's office" he replied.

"Do you know what we're starting with this evening?" the President asked.

"No Sir, but I imagine it's gonna be something that only you and Mr. 167 IQ can spell" he smiled.

"Hot pumpkin soup with cheese gnocchi and a chèvre brioche" the President spoke confidently.

"Sir, is anything you just said food?" Tony asked.

"7 Republicans who RSVP'd…" Gabby started.

"We know" Meg said.

"I still think they could have waited for after the entrée" the President continued to joke.

"I guess they didn't know about the uh…" Tony started snapping his fingers at Rex.

"Chèvre brioche" Rex said.

"Yeah, what he said" Tony pointed.

"Do we wanna think about waiting?" Will asked.

"No" Meg replied.

"The Constitution gives him 10 Days" Gabby added.

"Yes, I believe I'm familiar with that document"

"If it's a show of strength and resolve, you don't wait" Tony said.

"And if it's overridden it won't be either" Will countered.

"They don't have the votes" Meg said.

"Says you" Will pointed out.

"Says me, Jared, the Office of Political Liaison, the Legislative Liaison and the Minority Whip" Meg told him.

"Sometimes it's like I don't even need to be here" The President smiled as he took a seat at his desk. "So in the meantime, I'm going to admire how beautiful all of the women in the room look tonight"

"Easy" Tony said.

"I'm seated next to a Nobel Prize winning chemist" Stephanie spoke up.

"Ok?" Meg said.

"She's afraid she wont be able to make conversation, but she's wrong because she knows where he's born and what his name is" Tony smiled. The President laughed as a figure appeared in the doorway.

"Good evening, Mr. President" the man said. "I'm Doug Dolan from the Office of the Executive Clerk, sir."

"Meg, I don't think they're bluffing" Will said. "I don't think Delay and Hutchinson hold their members back from the summer recess for a bluff"

"That's because they're not bluffing" Meg said.

"You think they're holding an override vote tonight?" Will asked.

"I'm sure of it" Meg nodded.

"Why would they hold an override vote if they didn't think they could override?" Gabby asked.

"They wouldn't" Tony told them as he waived the clerk over.

"What do you have for me, Mr. Dolan?" the President asked as he stood up.

"Mr. President I have House Resolution 10, the Death Tax Elimination Act"

"Cute name" Tony muttered. Dolan continued.

"It bears the signatures of the Speaker of the House, Representative Thomas Delay of Texas, and the President of the Senate, Vice President John Edwards of North Carolina, and it is presented to you by the Congress of the United States of America for your signature or veto"

"Sir, if the House overrides this, we're gonna look weak"

"If the House overrides, we are weak" the President said as he made a mark with his pen. "Send it back" he said as he handed the clipboard back to the clerk.

While Stephanie briefed the Press Corps on the President's Veto, Gabby got on the phone. Will was in his office when she came in. "I just got off the phone with Miller" she said. "Delay has scheduled the vote"

"When?" Will asked.

"90 Minutes" Gabby to him. "An hour for debate, and 20 minutes to vote" she said.

"How does the Minority Leader feel?"

"Like we're down" Gabby said. "How could we have lost votes since yesterday?"

"Low in the polls President tells chicken-shit Democrats to vote against a tax cut during an election cycle, how could it have possibly gone wrong?" Tony said as he walked in.

"Shouldn't you be at the dinner?" Gabby asked.

"I'm avoiding people" he replied as he took a seat.

"We need a new Whip count" Will said.

"That'll take some time" Gabby said.

"They're all sitting there, have them raise their fucking hands" Will told her.

While Will and Gabby got setup in the Roosevelt Room, Tony reluctantly made his way back to the dinner. He found Meg and Paris and joined them for a drink. "I want you to get a hold of our union people at Reagan and Union Station" Meg told him. "Tell them to stop any Democratic members from leaving town. At gunpoint if necessary"

"It's already done" Tony said as he sipped his scotch. A couple of minutes later, Rex joined them.

"Rex, before the night is over, I want to talk to you" Meg said.

"I'm not taking a deal" Rex said.

"Rex…" his father began.

"Would you take it?" Rex turned to his father, already knowing the answer. He then turned back to Meg. "We're DiNozzos" he said. "We don't take deals, and we certainly don't rat" Rex said.

"Well. You are certainly your father's son" Meg smiled as she sipped her martini.

"I take that as a compliment in the highest form" Rex smiled.

"That's how I meant it" she smiled. "Martini" she told the bartender. It was right after she was served that she noticed a woman in a beautiful dark green dress walking across the room on the arm of a man in a smart tuxedo. "Oh shit" she muttered as they got closer. The couple had caught Tony's attention as well. Meg watched as Tony gripped his glass a little tighter. "Easy" Meg whispered as the couple walked up to them.

"Tony" the man smiled brightly.

"Count Spookula" Tony replied, taking a sip to hid his displeasure.

"Didn't expect to see you here tonight" Clay stated.

"I invited him" Meg said.

"And who are you?" Clay turned to Paris.

"Probationary Agent Paris Summerskill, NCIS" Paris said.

"Paris, this is Clayton Webb, Central Intelligence" Tony said.

"And this lovely lady" Clay turned to the woman on his arm. "Is Captain Bridget Sullivan, US Army" he said.

"Nice to meet you both" Paris nodded.

"We'll see you later" Bridget said, avoiding Tony's eyes as they moved on.

"Did you know?" Meg asked.

"Yeah, Rex told me they were seeing each other" Tony confirmed. He downed the rest of his drink. "Another" he slammed it down on the bar.

 **0135 hours local time, 1 July 2003. Tel-Aviv, Israel.**

Austin's wrapped around her, Liat smiled as she and her boyfriend walked down the street. It had been a tough couple of days at work for everyone at Mossad HQ, ever since the body of a Kidon operative had arrived in a packing crate a few days earlier. Liat had learned that the operative, Adam Weiss, had been assigned by Director David to protect the now deceased President of the FSRC, Alberte Clarke. It was information that she had quickly passed along back to Fort Bragg. But right now, she could forget all that as she blissfully enjoyed _Marcus'_ company.

At the same time, conflicting thoughts were running through Austin's head. On the one hand, he could finally relax, as he was now quite sure that no one would be able to trace Officer Weiss' body back to him. On the other hand, he could feel himself inching closer and closer towards the former-Lieutenant Colonel's warnings. At first, everything he had with Liat was simple, it was easy. But everyday that they spent together, with every passing second even, he was starting to really fall for her. And that was dangerous on more than one front. Even if he wasn't breaking the Lieutenant Colonel's undercover rule, there were a thousand other reasons why this was a really bad idea. For starters, he was an undercover operative in a foreign country, and any entanglements were dangerous. There was also the fact that he and Liat worked together quite often, meaning that their relationship was risking both their lives even further. But right now, none of this mattered, not to AJ anyway. And even if the relationship was doomed to fail, right now, none of that mattered, not tonight.

Up ahead of them was a café and despite the hour it was very busy. "Hey" AJ nudged Liat. "How about a cup of coffee?" he asked.

"Isn't it a little late for coffee?" she replied .

"It's a little late for everything" he joked. Liat looked at her watch. 0140 hours.

"Eh, what the hell" she shrugged. As they moved closer, the saw a man who was walking towards the nightclub across the street, stop abruptly in the middle of the street, and turn toward the café. Both AJ and Liat watched, puzzled as he got closer, walking up to 2 college age kids wearing American sweatshirts.

"Oh God" the both said.

 **2100 hours, 30 June 2003, White House, Washington D.C.**

"Maybe the Speaker wants to put a compromise back on the table" Gabby said.

"I doubt it" Will said.

"He was willing to compromise on a $10 Million dollar exemption instead of a 5"

"A $10 Million Dollar Exemption" Will scoffed. "There's a conversation my father never had"

"Yeah, he was too busy beating your ass" Tony said as he sipped his whiskey.

"Excuse Me?" Will got his back up.

"Hey, I've been there, my father used to beat the hell out of me too" Tony said.

"Sonny abused you?" Paris asked timidly, not sure if that was an ok question to ask.

"Sonny hit me" Tony said. "And I hit back" he paused. "Senior, my biological father, abused me, until I was 12 and cracked a champagne bottle across his face" Tony said as he downed the rest of his drink, trying to wash down the painful memory. "Another" he motioned to the bartender.

"Boy, aren't you 2 just cheery" Meg said. "Look, we're gonna have to give something away, just don't give away the whole store" Meg said, sipping her martini. As she did, her assistant, Ginger, tapped her on the shoulder and whispered something in her ear. "Excuse me" Meg said as she set down her drink and walked out into the hall. "What is it?" she asked.

"Heather Wilson is in your office" she said.

"What's going on?"

"Something's happened"

"How very perceptive" Meg rolled her eyes as she walked towards her office. "Heather, what's going on?" she asked as she walked in.

"A bomb went off outside a cafe on Ha-Carmel Street in Tel-Aviv. Suicide bomber, explosives strapped to his chest"

"Casualties?"

"10 dead so far; at least 125 injured" she said. "Meg, 2 of the dead were American students" she paused. "We think they may have been targeted" she said ominously.

"All right then" Meg nodded as they walked out. "Ginger, I'll be in the Situation Room"

 **2110 hours, 30 June 2003, White House Situation Room, West Wing, Whitehouse, Washington D.C.**

"Ok, thank you" Heather said as she hung up. "Meg!" she yelled.

"Yeah?" Meg yelled back from the other side of the room.

"INP thinks they have traces of C4"

"C4?" Meg gave her a funny look. "Did this asshole have a fucking Cadillac strapped to his chest?" she replied as the doors opened and the President walked in.

"Have the parents been notified?" he asked as he took his seat at the head of the table.

"The Ambassador made the call" Meg said.

"Anyone claiming responsibility?" he asked.

"In the next hour, everyone will claim responsibility" Heather said from the far end of the table.

"Heather, hasn't the State Department been issuing travel warnings since the this new Intifada began?"

"They were there for a soccer match" Heather replied.

"And they were targeted?"

"We have an eyewitness who says that the bomber was headed into a nightclub across the street, but stopped and turned toward the café when he saw the 2 wearing US delegation sweatshirts with insignias and flags" said Erskine Wheeler, the Undersecretary of Defense.

"They were brothers, Ariel and Noah Levy" added Major Thomas Bowles, the evening's watch commander in the Situation room.

"He walked up to them and detonated" Wheeler added.

"We know this?" the President asked.

"Yes" Heather nodded firmly. "We have an eyewitness"

"What do you mean _we_ have an eyewitness?" Meg asked.

"There was a 3rd American" Heather said. "But she wasn't targeted because she wasn't identified as one. She's US Army enlisted and Fort Bragg was her first call. Colonel Colleton transferred it to me so I could speak to her personally"

"Oh god" Meg said when she realized who Heather was describing.

"What?" the President turned to her.

"Staff Sergeant Liat Mariella DiNozzo" she said. "Rex's sister"

"That's correct" Heather confirmed.

"Is she ok?" Meg asked.

"No serious injuries" Heather said. "She and her boyfriend were out walking and…"

"And Sir, the INP think they've found traces of C4" Meg added.

"You think there's a Lebanese connection?" the President asked.

"Or even Iran" she said. "We'll know more once the FBI attaché gives a full forensics report"

"How long?"

"45 minutes, an hour tops" Heather said.

"Keep me informed" the President said as he got up. "And I'm gonna need some temperature cooling options"

"Yes Sir" Meg and Heather nodded.

"Speaking of which, let's keep this from DiNozzo" the President said. "As long as his daughter is safe, then the less he knows, the better" he said before walking out.

"Why keep it from DiNozzo?" someone asked.

"When Tony finds out someone tried to blow up his little girl, he's gonna wanna carpet bomb the West Bank" Meg said before stepping out herself.

When Meg got back upstairs to her office, Stephanie was waiting for her. "Have you been briefed?" Meg asked as she walked in.

"Yes" Stephanie nodded.

"Is it on the news yet?"

"Yeah" She confirmed.

"They were brothers" Meg told her.

"What were they doing there?"

"Soccer match"

"Can we say that they were intentionally targeted?"

"I'd rather not hop on the speculation bandwagon right now" Meg said as she took a seat behind her desk. "And no names" she added.

"The Levys just lost their sons, I don't mind letting the media throw tomatoes at me for a few hours" she nodded. "The President will call them?"

"Yeah" Meg nodded.

"Can I tell them that the President has been in touch with Prime Minister Sharon?"

"Yeah, but don't give em a read in either direction" Meg cautioned. "The death toll has risen to 3 dozen. The Israelis are gonna do what they're gonna do, so ratchet down expectations" Meg told her. As Steph left, Gabby and Jared came in.

"What's the latest?" Meg asked.

"We're down 4" Gabby said.

"I thought we were only down one? We're down one an hour ago"

"3 of our guys are on planes" Gabby said.

"They're exactly where they want to be" Tony said as he walked in. "Oh, and by the way, I just talked to Liat; so fuck you for not telling me" Tony said.

"She's ok?" Meg asked.

"She's fine" Tony confirmed. "I don't like that you kept this from me"

"President's orders" Meg said. "And I agreed with every word, and so would you if you were in my shoes"

"Where's Taylor?" Jared scowled.

"He's on his way" Gabby said. Jared left the office, his bowtie falling apart.

"Ellen" he said as he walked into the policy bullpen.

"Ok" she said as she yanked off the crumpled bowtie. "Sorry, no Tom Jones tonight" she said as she slipped on a clip-on.

"It's Tony Bennett" Jared corrected her.

"We're down?" she asked.

"4" Jared told her.

"Do you have time to talk?" Ellen asked. "It's personal"

"Can it wait; we got this plus the bombing in Tel-Aviv..."

"Yeah, don't worry about it" she told him.

 **2200 hours, 30 June 2003, Oval Office, West Wing, White House, Washington D.C.**

The President stepped out onto the colonnade, where Meg and Tony were waiting for him. "Who is that reporter that was hounding Stephanie during the briefing about releasing that names?" the President asked.

"Shelley Wexler, she's an entertainment reporter for the Post" Meg said.

"Why is an entertainment reporter covering this?" the President asked.

"She was here to cover the dinner" Meg said.

"I want her credentials pulled and she is never to set foot in this building again, and make sure her editor knows exactly why"

"Will is already working on it" Meg assured him.

"So, what do you have for me?"

"It was a Palestinian Splinter Group, the Palestine Freedom Front" Meg said.

"Agency and FBI concur?"

"Yes Sir" Meg nodded.

"Then we shouldn't be looking outside the box?"

"David talked to the Foreign Minister and the Interior Minister. This was an isolated incident"

"If that's the case, I wanna hear it from Arafat directly. A complete denunciation of violence"

"We wont get it" Meg said.

"Tony, you know these guys?" the President.

"Yes Sir" Tony replied as he lit a cigarette. "They're radicals, even by Palestinian standards"

"You think we can get the Israelis to hold fire tonight?" Meg asked.

"Would you?" the President asked him. "Would you hold fire?"

"No" Tony shook his head.

While Will and Gabby were meeting with Congressman Gene Taylor, Democrat of Mississippi, Gabby realized that they were running out of time. She stepped out and motioned for Ellen. "Tell Jared we need more time" she said. Ellen nodded and hurried off to find her boss. She found him, near the dinning room, speaking with Senator Evan Bayh (D-IN).

"Excuse me, Senator" she said. "I need Jared for a minute" she said as she pulled him away. "Gabby says we need more time"

"Call Miller's office, tell him we need to stage an exhibition" he said.

"Will they know what that means?"

"There's a rule against exhibitions on the House floor; he'll have one of our members bring a poster or something onto the floor, another will object, meaning that the Chair will have to rule followed by a vote of the full house. That'll buy us 20 minutes at least" he said.

Meanwhile, Meg was rushed back down to the situation room. "KH-11 sees 12 Israeli F-15C Eagles on the flightline at Hatzerim Air Force Base" Heather told her.

"What's they're load out?"

"Sidewinders" Heather said. "They're kickin tires and lighting fires"

"They've also got 10 AH-64 Apache Longbows armed with hellfires airborne from Bezet" said the recently arrived Secretary of Defense, Jack Reed.

"Targets?" Meg asked.

"The Abu Snei Bab and al-Sheikh neighborhoods in Hebron, a police station in Ramallah and _Al-Watan,_ the Hamas newspaper"

"The Arabs will go ballistic if the Israelis retaliate" said Undersecretary Wheeler.

"Fuck" Meg said under her breath. "Keep me informed" she said as she left, heading back to her office.

When she got there, she slipped off her heals and poured herself a drink as Will and Gabby stepped in.

"We've given him a one-year moratorium on grazing fees, White House support for an increase in production flexibility contracts, a promise not to lower agricultural export subsidies and a tougher FDA crackdown on the illegal use of antibiotics in milk" Will said as Jared joined them.

"We cant cave to this asshole, not on this" Jared said.

"Maybe we don't have to" Meg said. "Aside from the stupid milk thing, everything else is the same thing that a farm-district Republican would want" she said.

"Yeah, that's right" Jared agreed.

"You have someone in mind?" Will asked.

"I do" Meg smiled. "Moran"

"That could work" Gabby said. "He'd bring at least another 6 GOP votes with him, putting us back above water. One they see we're gonna win, Taylor and his cronies will come back to the fold, giving us an even larger win"

"And then STEPH gets to play up all the bipartisanship crap" Will said.

"Do it" Meg ordered. "Jared, buy us some more time" she added.

"Ellen!" Jared yelled as he moved back toward his office. "Ellen!" he yelled again.

"Yes" she appeared.

"We need more time; get back on the phone with Miller's office and tell him to have a Democrat call for a journal vote. If someone calls for a journal vote, the entire House has to approve the previous day's floor activity" he told her. "After that, have a member try to attach an amendment to the override vote"

"What kind of amendment?"

"Not important" Jared replied. "To qualify for the estate tax, the estates must have Astroturf" he said.

"And yet I still can't figure out what Congress can't get anything done" Ellen remarked as she walked away.

Meanwhile, Will and Gabby had made their way back to the Communications Bullpen. They stepped back into Will's Office, where Congressman Taylor was waiting. "And here I was thinkin y'all had forgotten about me" the Congressman smiled.

"Congressman, vote with us or done; either way, get the fuck out of this White House" Will told him. The Congressman fumed as he left. "Bonnie!" Will yelled. His assistant popped her head in the door.

"Yes, Mr. McAvoy"

"On the phone, we need Congressman Jerry Moran, Republican of Kansas"

"Yes Sir" Bonnie nodded. Gabby let out a deep breath.

"Ok then, here we go" she said.

 **2245 hours, 30 June 2003, Roosevelt Room, West Wing, White House, Washington D.C.**

"So let me get this straight, you're offering a one-year moratorium on grazing fees?"

"Yes"

"A backing of a GAO review for the need of a stronger farm safety net?"

"Yes"

"A promise not to lower agricultural export subsidies?"  
"Yes"

"And a tougher FDA crackdown on what?"

"The illegal use of antibiotics in milk" Gabby replied. After a 5 minute phone conversation and a 10 minute car ride, Congressman Moran arrived.

"All that for my vote to sustain the veto?"

"And the 6 votes that come with you" Gabby added

"And this was the same deal you had with Taylor?"

"Yes Sir" Will nodded.

"And he was prepared to take it?"

"We think so" Gabby confirmed. "And now we're offering it to you"

"I don't want it" the Congressman told them.

"Congressman Moran, you've publicly been uneasy about this repeal from the get-go"

"Yes, I have" he replied. "Let me tell you something. The idea of repealing the estate tax makes me embarrassed to be a Republican. We used to be about the sensible center, about fiscal discipline. A tax break for billionaires, please" he scoffed. "This thing needed to be vetoed. It was a Republican named Oliver Wendell Holmes who said that "Taxes are the price we pay for a civilized society"" he quoted. "When I drove up, I noticed a dark blue Mustang parked in the executive lot; I take it that Lieutenant Colonel DiNozzo is here"

"Former Lieutenant Colonel" Gabby told.

"Pity" the Congressman said. "Do you know why I like Tony?"

"Because he gives you money every 2 years?"

"That" the Congressman confirmed. "I first met Tony back when I was first running for Congress in '96. He was a Captain then, and had dropped in on his way out to the West Coast to visit with Senator Dole in an effort to get the Senator to drop the idea of trickledown economics from his platform. He called it, "Voodoo Economics" if I recall correctly. He was unafraid to speak his mind, and told Dole that there were a lot of Republicans who couldn't support his tax plan, which by the way, also included repealing the estate tax" he paused. "I voted for President Clinton that year" he confessed.

"Congressman, what is it that you want?"

"Nothing" he replied with a shrug. "Tell the President that he has 7 new votes tonight" he smiled. They shook hands before he left to make his return to the Hill.

Meanwhile, Meg was in her office when Heather and Secretary Reed walked in. "You're never gonna believe this" Heather said.

"The Israelis are standing down" Jack told her.

"Just like that?" Meg asked.

"Wes confirmed it with his opposite number in Tel-Aviv" the Secretary told her.

"Field Marshall Mordechai Ben-Gidon passed up on the opportunity to drop bombs on Palestinians?" Meg asked. "How…" then she paused. "Never mind" she said. "I think I know. Keep an eye on the draw down; make sure it's for real"

"We'll keep you apprised" Heather told her.

At the same time, Jared walked back into the policy pen. "Ok, I got away with this for tonight, but you should really learn how to tie a bowtie" he told Ellen as he dropped the clip-on on her desk.

"Or you could" Ellen replied.

"Yeah, but that doesn't seem that likely, does it?" he smiled. "You can head home" he told her as he walked away.

"I'll stick around" she said as he moved to put away some files.

"You wanted to talk to me about something before" he said. "Something personal" he added.

"Yeah, listen. Ainsley fixed me up on a blind date a few nights ago, with a Republican"

"Ok…" Jared looked it at her with a confused look on his face.

"He was a lawyer, working for Ways and Means, but now it turns out that he was transferred to a different committee"

"Which one?"

"House Armed Services"

"You can't see him anymore" Jared told her

"I know"

"You can't see him anymore" he replied.

"I know"

"It was just that night?"

"Yes… No" she said. "We got together the next night" she confessed. "I know we shouldn't have"

"Yeah" Jared said as he loosed his collar.

"Look, the first time we got together, I just thought…"

"The he was with Ways and Means who I was fighting tooth and nail with over the Estate Tax. Did any reporters see you?"

"No"

"The 2nd night?"

"No" she told him, louder than she intended.

"Go home" Jared said.

 **0735 hours local time, 1 July 2003, Haifa Lee Breakwater Lighthouse, Port of Haifa, Haifa, Israel.**

"Here" Liat said as she handed AJ a cup of coffee. They were both sitting on the edge of the dock that jutted out over into the Harbor. Liat took a seat next to him, laying her head on his shoulder.

"You ok?" he asked. Liat took a deep breath and sighed.

"I will be" she said. "It's not the first time I've seen an explosion up close, or even the first time that I caught up in one" she paused. "It's just the first time that I've…"

"Seen a suicide bomber in person?" AJ finished her sentence.

"Yes" Liat admitted.

"I wish I could say it gets easier" he said.

"You've seen them before?" she asked.

"A few times" he replied. "My work with 212 takes me into the West Bank and Gaza more than I wish it did"

"I take it you will be going back very soon?" she looked up at him, a sense of fear in her eyes.

"Aw hell, I don't know" he told her. "I thought for sure that we'd be heading back in this morning, in force; but alas, nothing" he said.

"I don't know what I'd do if I lost you" Liat told him, looking through his eyes, into his soul. AJ slipped his arm around here shoulder and planted a kiss on her forehead as he pulled her in close.

"Well don't worry about, because you aren't losing me" he said, even if he knew deep down that that wasn't quite true.

 **0605 hours, 1 July 2003, Oval Office, West Wing, White House, Washington D.C.**

The room had a quit calm to it as everyone sat around the coffee table in the middle of the room. The President in his usual arm chair, Meg on the couch next to him. The door from the outer office opened and Tony walked in. "Rex said you wanted to see me" Tony said.

"Take a seat, Colonel" the President waived him to the couch on the other side of the coffee table.

"Sir, you do know that I'm not in the Army anymore, right?" Tony smiled.

"Believe it to not, Mr. DiNozzo, not much escapes my notice" the President told him. "Such as the fact that your Probational Agent is asleep on the couch in Meg's office" he pointed out.

"Is she really?" Tony turned to the closed door that led to the Chief of Staff's office. "I would have thought she would have bailed by 0200 or so"

"Something tells me that she has a lot to prove" Meg added. "I know that Morrow saddled you with her, but there is no way that you would have taken her on if you didn't see something in her"

"Last week, she asked me if I was Harry Truman's grandson" Tony told them. "So I corrected her and told her that the rumor was that I was his Great-Grandson"

"That rumor just won't die, will it" the President spoke.

"Evidently not" Tony said. The door to the outer office opened and Rex came in carrying a pot of coffee and some mugs.

"What's the latest?" the President asked as Rex poured them their coffee.

"Nothing out of the West Bank or Gaza" he said. "Alls quiet in the Middle East"

"Oh shit, I totally forgot" Meg said. "With everything happening last night, I forgot to look in on the override vote"

"Veto has been upheld by 14 votes" Rex told them. "For right now, the Estate Tax remain a viable source of income for the Federal Government"

"All thanks to Congressman Jerry Moran" Tony smiled.

"How much did you have to promise to donate to his campaign?" Meg asked.

"Just the usual $2700" Tony said.

"Frankly, I'm still shocked he voted with us" POTUS admitted.

"He's just hedging his bets" Tony said. "The Republican candidates who've already declared aren't exactly the A-team, so Moran wants to cover his ass just incase it suddenly becomes unpopular to be a Republican"

"In the Kansas 1st?" the President asked.

"Rex, what did Gore take in in the Kansas 1st?" he asked his son.

"Just under 40" he replied.

"Just enough to scare someone like Moran into a little bipartisanship" Tony said. "As down as the White House is now, the GOP knows that one Baghdad falls, you'll skyrocket in the polls"

"I'm just glad that we did it" Meg admitted.

"Amen to that" Tony agreed. He turned back to Rex. "Did you call your sister?" he asked.

"Not yet" Rex replied.

"Do it please" Tony told him.

"I will Sir, first chance I get" he assured his father.

"And go wake up Agent Summerskill; she's asleep on the couch in your Aunt's office. Rex nodded and moved towards the door.

"Liat's ok?" the President inquired

"Yes Sir" Tony nodded. "Some cuts and abrasions, but nothing that can't be fixed from a basic first aid kit"

"Ya know, it's amazing how the Israelis just suddenly stood down" Meg said, pausing with a grin. "What did you say to Field Marshall Ben-Gidon?" she asked.

"What are you implying?" Tony returned her grin.

"That there was only one person in the building last night who could have gotten through to the Commander-in-Chief of the Israeli Defense Force in such a short amount of time" she said.

"I admit to nothing" Tony said, sipping his coffee. "But maybe, just maybe, someone pointed out that dropping more bombs on civilians wasn't going to do anything in terms of de-escalation"

"Tony, when you get the chance, please pass along my profound thanks to your daughter. The intelligence she provided last night was crucial to the decisions made down stairs"

"Thank you Sir, I will" Tony nodded.

"T, how long have you been awake?" Meg asked. Tony looked at his watch.

"Just over 26 hours" Tony said. "Which I'm guessing is about one hour more than you" he returned the favor.

"How right you are" Meg replied, taking a big sip of coffee.

"Speaking of the time, wont Director Morrow be expecting you at the office at the top of the hour?" the President asked.

"Actually, I'm usually in the office right now. So actually, I'm already late" he chuckled. Meg got up from the couch and walked over to the window.

"Huh" she said as she looked out. "I can't see them" she commented.

"See what?" POTUS asked.

"The pigs" she replied. "The sky is clear; I should be able to see them" she said, walking back to her seat.

"Meg, what the hell are you talking about?" Tony asked her as she took her seat once again.

"Tony DiNozzo is late for something, so today must be the day that pigs fly" she grinned. Tony rolled his eyes.

"That's not even close to being funny" he told her. "But not the less, she is right, I am late. Sir, I'm afraid I must take my leave" he said as he stood up, tugging his bow tie loose so that it hung around his neck. He and the President shook hands and he moved to give Meg a hug.

"Be safe" she said as they kissed each others cheek.

"You too" he said as he walked through the door to Meg's office. Paris was waiting there, sipping her coffee. "We're leaving" Tony said as he closed the door behind him.

"Yes Sir" she quickly slipped on her heels and got to her feet. The walk outside was a quiet one. Once they were out in the fresh morning air, Tony stopped to light a cigarette.

"I assume you have a change of clothes?" Tony asked.

"Yes Sir, in the go bag in my car back at the Navy Yard.

"Good" Tony said, blowing smoke through his nose. "You stayed the night"

"So did you" she replied.

"Why?" Tony turned to her.

"Because you were here" she said.

"You're learning" Tony said as they started walking towards the lot. "Step-Great Grandfather" he said out of nowhere.

"What?" she asked as she opened the passenger door of Tony's Mustang.

"I'm Harry Truman's step-Great Grandson" he said as he got in. "My Grandfather married Margaret Truman in 1955, 5 years after my grandmother was killed in Korea" he told her. "My Aunt Courtney is a Truman, as is my cousin Loren"

"Then why do you let the rumor persist?" she asked.

"Because who cares" Tony said as he started the engine. Paris left it at that.

 **0715 hours, 1 July 2003,** **Men's Locker Room, NCIS Headquarters, Washington Navy Yard, Washington D.C.**

Towel wrapped around his waist, Tony walked out of the showers and headed towards his locker. As he dropped the towel, he caught sight of someone leaning up against the row of lockers. "Like what ya see?" Tony said as he grabbed his boxers. The young woman remained silent, slumped against the lockers. Tony slipped on his undershirt and walked over to her. "Abby!" he yelled, snapping his fingers in front of her face. "Abby!" he yelled again. Abby slowly lifted her head and stared at up at Tony.

"Oh hey" she smiled weakly. "What are you doing here?" she asked

"Abby, this is the men's locker room; you know that right?"

"Huh?" Abby looked up at him. Tony just shook his head and moved back to his locker, pulling on his jeans and boots. "I'll be fine" Abby said. "I just need a little pick me up" she said as she slid down against the row of lockers, all the way to the floor. Tony chose to ignore her. Tony threw on his holster and black leather jacket and went on his way.

When he got up to the main bullpen, he walked over to Gibbs' desk. "Hey Gunny" he said as he walked up. Gibbs looked up from the paperwork on his desk. "I just found Dr. Scuito passed out in the men's locker room. You wanna fill me in on anything?" he asked. Gibbs only shrugged and shook his head.

"She just needs a little caffeine to get going in the morning." He explained.

"Yeah, sure" Tony replied, not believing a single word he was just told. But whatever Abby's problem was, he didn't really care at the moment. He walked out of the bullpen and back towards his office. A few minutes later, there was a knock on the door and Paris walked in, dressed in street clothes like he was. Before either one of them could say anything, Tony's cellphone rang. "DiNozzo" he answered. "Got it" he said, snapping the phone shut. "Dead Marine, Southeast DC" he said as he got up, slipping his Beretta into his shoulder holster.

"Let's Roll" Paris said confidently as they headed out.

 **PLEASE REVIEW!**

 **(Zander's Voice)- Next time on "28 Seconds: Blood & Iron"-**

 **Following a shooting at a church in North Carolina, the President and Vice President clash over the Administrations gun policy. Meanwhile, Ellen Swatello's indiscretions put the White House in further jeopardy after she inadvertently lies under oath, leaving Jared and Rex to scramble to cover for her. In Iraq, Three's TAD to the Rangers ends as CDS Coalition Forces begin to prepare for the final assault of Baghdad. Finally, Tony and Paris travel to Naples to search for a sailor who may be a serial killer.**

 **A/N- Ok, so I have some serious splaning to do. First off, I would like to apologize for the nearly 8 month gap in-between updates. I do have a very good reason for this, but not the lease, for my small cadre of loyal readers I am sorry. The reason for my absence started over a year ago, when I took a job as a speechwriter for a Congressional Candidate. After we won the primary (in spectacular come-from-behind I might add), life became very busy for me, working at my day job as well as for the campaign. And wouldn't ya know it; we actually won (coming from behind once again). So now, I work for a Congressman. And as we all saw this past week, that sometimes means that my life will be more hectic than ever before. But hopefully as things calm down, I will have more and more time to write (hopefully).**

 **As always, I love hearing from you guys and love all of the reviews. And while I know that I don't really deserve it, I would love if someone could give a really in-depth review of the story. But as I said, I'll take what I can get.**

 **With any luck, I should have another update before the end of April. Thanks again for reading, good luck and good night.** Harry Truman


	7. The Killer

**Chapter 7**

 **The Killer**

 **0700 hours local time, Sunday, 6 July 2003, Naples, Italy.**

NCIS Special Agent Jane Melankovic produced her ID as she passed through the 2 uniformed police who were guarding the door to the small hotel room. She walked in where her contact with Interpol was waiting for her. "Inspector" she nodded as she slipped her ID back into her pocket. "Another one?" she asked.

"Si" the Inspector nodded. "The same as the other 3: a prostitute, strangled, founded tied to a chair looking out the window towards the harbor" he said in his very thick accent.

"And you're positive that this involves the United States Navy?" she asked.

"Unfortunately, Si" he told her. "Each was last seen in the company of a United States sailor, in uniform, and each of the 4 murders has taken place while one of your warships was in port" he paused and looked out the window. "That one" he pointed.

"Shit" Jane muttered.

 **1130 hours, Sunday, 6 July 2003, White House Press Briefing Room, West Wing, White House, Washington D.C.**

Everyone was just finding their seats when Stephanie walked in and got behind the podium. "Alright" she said to herself as she got settled.

"Stephanie?" the reporter asked. "Do they know what kind of gun it was?"

"Which gun?" Steph replied.

"The first one"

".38 revolver" Stephanie informed them. "Ok, here are a few confirmations and a few more details" she began. "The shooting took place approximately 15 minutes into the 9:00am service at the United Baptist Church in Greensboro, North Carolina. 15 minutes into the service, Daryl Bechtell, B-E-C-H-T-E-L-L, walked into the sanctuary. Reports indicate that he was looking for his estranged wife. He fired off one round from his .38, missing his wife and striking a Mr. Harold Winter in the left shoulder. Mr. Winter is 65-years of age and is currently undergoing surgery at Greensboro Regional Medical Center. Mr. Bechtell then proceeded to fire off 4 more rounds, causing the congregation inside the church to scatter. At this point, a Mr. Ron Cahrl, C-A-H-R-L, pulled a 9mm Glock from under his suit coat and fired off 3 rounds in the direction of Mr. Bechtell. At this time, it is unclear who fired the rounds that struck Melissa Markey"

"Confirmation on her age?" another reporter asked.

"She will 9-years old… tomorrow" Stephanie replied.

"Can you speak to what either Mr. Bechtell or Mr. Cahrl will be charged with?"

"No, the Greensboro Sheriff's office will be handling that" Stephanie told them. "But I can tell you that Mr. Bechtell's gun was registered and that Mr. Cahrl was licensed to carry a concealed weapon"

"Doesn't North Carolina state law prohibit the carrying of weapons into houses of worship?"

"Again, I'll let the Sherriff's office speak to that" she replied. "But I can tell you that the law only applies if said house of worship posts such a prohibition in plain sight" she said as her aide, Carol, walked up and handed her a note.

"Stephanie…"

"Hang on" she said, reading the note. "Melissa Markey has died" she said.

 **1205 hours, Sunday, 6 July 2003, Guest House, Van Smoot Estate, Annapolis Maryland.**

" _How luck can one guy be? I kissed her and she kissed me. Like the fella once said, ain't that a kick in the head"_ Tony sang along with the music as he put the meat on the grill. "Meg, how's that chili coming?!"

"It's coming" she yelled back. Having determined that he was far too old to be living at his father's place in Virginia, and that Rex's apartment was far too small, Tony had finally found a new place. A Vietnam buddy of Sonny's, Billionaire Shipping Magnate George Van Smoot had offered Tony the guest house on his Annapolis Estate. At first, Tony was reluctant to accept, but eventually agreed after they struck a deal that would have Tony serve as de-facto caretaker of the Estate, at least until a permanent one could be found to replace the man who had just retired.

While Tony worked the Grill and Meg cooked the chili, Rex was out on the law keeping an eye on little Johnny Martin, and his own son, John Bartlett. Tony looked up as Rex walked over. "Son, how is it that someone as smart as you has a kid?" he asked.

"I'm not as smart as I look" Rex shrugged.

"Smart ass" Tony replied. Rex laughed as his cellphone rang. Tony tried not to listen in on his son's brief conversation. "What's up?" he asked.

"Melissa Markey died" he said.

"Damn" Tony replied. "Does the President know?"

"Yeah, Steph told him" he said.

"Does the President know what?" Meg asked as she emerged from inside.

"Melissa Markey died" Rex repeated.

"Aw hell" Meg said.

"Who's staffing the President today?" Meg asked.

"Stephanie, Will and Gabby" Rex said.

"Where's Jared?" Meg asked.

"I think he got the day off too" Rex said.

"It had to be North Carolina" Meg said.

"What?" Tony looked over at her.

"Next week, the National Conference of State Legislatures is holding its annual Legislative Summit… in Charlotte"

"Damn" Tony said. "If you gotta go…"

"If they need me, they know where to find me" she said. As if by magic, the phone rang. Tony walked over and picked it up.

"Yeah?"

"Special Agent DiNozzo, please hold for Director Morrow" said a voice. '

"Oh wonderful" he muttered.

"DiNozzo" Morrow's voice boomed.

"Yes Sir" he replied.

"I have a new case for you. Get here ASAP" Morrow barked.

"Yes Sir" Tony said before hanging up. He turned back to his guests. "I have to go" he said.

"Why?" Meg asked.

"New case" Tony said as he rushed inside to change.

"You'd think they'd give him one day's peace" Rex said as he took over behind the grill.

"Your father has the interesting distinction of making just as many friends as he does enemies" Meg replied as she looked out at the children, who were sleeping on a blanket on the lawn. "He may be in tight with Clark, Morrell and Carsten, but there are tons of flag officers, politicians and bureaucrats who'd love to see him fall" she said.

"Well, hopefully come November 6th, he'll have one more ally on the Hill"

"Amen to that" Meg agreed. Tony came back outside now dressed in his street clothes.

"I gotta run" he said as he and Meg exchanged kisses on the cheek.

"Be safe" she said.

"You know I won't" he grinned. He then turned to Rex. "Son, give Little John a kiss from Grandpa… good Lord, I can't believe I just said that" he laughed as he walked towards his car.

 **1330 hours, 6 July 2003, NCIS Headquarters, Washington Navy Yard, Washington D.C.**

When Tony stepped off the elevator, Paris was already there waiting for him. "Do you know what this is about?" Tony asked as they headed for the stairs.

"No" Paris replied.

"Not even an inkling?"

"No Sir" she said.

"This better be good. Morrow ruined a perfectly good Sunday Barbeque with my son and grandson" he said.

"You have a grandson?" Paris was shocked.

"Very, very long story" Tony said as they climbed the stairs to the Director's office. "Agents DiNozzo and Summerskill to see Director Morrow" Tony said to Morrow's secretary as he walked right past and into the Director's office. "This better be good" he said to the Director, who was sitting behind his desk.

"Don't you knock?" the Director looked up.

"Not on days that end in Y" Tony replied.

"How haven't I fired you yet?" the Director barked.

"3 words: Perfect. Closure. Rate" Tony replied as he leaned against the back wall. "Now, do you wanna tell us why you've interrupted our Sundays, or are we gonna continue this little dance of ours?"

"Agent Summerskill, according to your file, you took an FBI course in profiling potential serial murders" Morrow read from her file.

"Yes Sir" she nodded.

"Along with that, both of you are fluent in Italian" he added.

" _Si, Direttore"_ Paris said.

"Doesn't answer my question" Tony said.

"I received a call this morning from CINCMED. It seems that one of our Agents out of the Naples Office may have stumbled across a serial killer aboard the USS Gilchrest" he said.

"How many bodies?" Tony asked.

"4 so far; all prostitutes" Morrow said. "So far, Agent Melankovic has been working this case on her own, with help from both Interpol and the Naples Police. But if this is a serial killer, she's in way over her head" Morrow said. "An Air Force C-17 is leaving Andrews in 2 hours, I want you two on it" he ordered. "The Gilchrest leaves Port on the 9th, you have until then to crack this case"

"Nothing like bureaucratic efficiency" Tony scoffed.

"Problems, Agent DiNozzo?"

"Who? Me?" Tony feigned offense.

"Get out" Morrow growled.

"Yes Sir" They both said before walking out.

"Agent DiNozzo" Paris spoke up once they left the outer office.

"What?" Tony looked at her as they descended the stairs.

"It's just" she paused. "I've never actually profiled anyone before. I took one class" she told him nervously.

"Well, that puts you one up on most folks around here" Tony said. "Myself included" he admitted. "And as for your lack of experience, well no shit you've never done it before, you've been a Probie for 2 weeks, what did you expect?" he said. "You have a go-bag?" he asked.

"Always; as instructed" he said.

"Well, at least we know you paid attention" he smiled to himself as he walked off towards his office.

 **0700 hours local time, 7 July 2003, NCIS Regional Field Office, NAS Naples, Port of Naples, Naples, Italy.**

"Ok, we've got just over 2 days to catch this prick, so let's not waste any time" Tony said after he and Paris were briefed by Agent Melankovic.

"Interpol is certain that the killer is aboard that ship" Jane told them.

"Do you agree with them?" Paris asked.

"I do" Jane nodded. Tony pulled out the Gilchrest's movement report.

"According to the Gilchrest's movement report, she passed through Gibraltar in early spring. Her first liberty port was Ravenna, 28 April" he read.

"29 April, between 2100 and Midnight" Jane pointed to a map of the Mediterranean on the wall which had the pins of each murder in it.

"Next port of call was Messina, 5 May"

"6 May, sometime before Midnight"

"Then here in Naples, 13 May"

"13 May, the 3rd killing" Jane said. "The nothing for 2 months"

"The exact time that the Gilchrest was deployed to the Arabian Sea" Tony read. "She passed back through the Suez Canal, arriving back her in Naples two days ago.

"And that very night, the murder struck again" Jane said.

"Fuck" Tony muttered. "I'm gonna need you to run interference with the Italians" he added. "Agent Summerskill and myself are both fluent in Italian and we can find our own way just fine. They'll only get in our way" he said.

"Is there any physical evidence?" Paris asked.

"Follow me" Jane told them. She took them down to the conference room where everything had been laid out.

"Is this all the physical evidence?" Paris asked. "Autopsy reports, investigation records?"

"Yes. Unfortunately, we have very little in the way of physical evidence" Jane confessed.

"Body fluids? Semen? Saliva? Blood?" Paris continued her questioning.

"Nothing, there was no sex with any of the victims"

"What about defensive wounds? Bruising on the body or skin under the fingernails?"

"No DNA evidence at all" Jane told her.

"So, the women didn't see it coming" Paris said. "And the killer cleaned them up afterwards, suggesting that he is highly organized" she started the psychological profile. "Most serial killers fit a basic profile. Single white male, young, father absent from his life, usually distant from his mother, lack of a committed relationship with a woman" she listed. "What we need to find first is what sets this guy off, his stressor, what incites him to kill" she paused, looking down at the other evidence. Inside each file was an evidence bag containing a wedding ring. "What are these?" she asked.

"Wedding rings, each one identical and found on each of the bodies. We assume placed there after death?"

"Are you sure" Paris looked over at her.

"Yes. None of the victims were married, they do not belong to them" Jane told her.

"Very interesting" Paris said. "The killer is _young_ , yet all the victims are _older_ women" she paused. "To a single male, the wedding ring is a symbol of what?" she began thinking aloud. "To desire, to possess, to control" she rattled off.

"Or just the opposite" Tony finally spoke. "Rejection of control"

"Yes, of course" Paris agreed. "He would resent being under the control of a female. His mother, his wife…"

"Or his Commanding Officer" Tony interrupted her. "The Skipper of the USS Gilchrest is a woman, Commander Amanda Waller" Tony said. "Would that qualify as a stressor, Agent Summerskill?" he asked.

"It most certainly would" she confirmed.

 **0630 hours, 7 July 2003, Presidential Residence, White House, Washington D.C.**

It was a typical start to the day as Rex walked up the stairs to the 2nd floor of the Residence. "Enter!" a voice boomed after he knocked. Rex stepped inside, shutting the door behind him. The President was upright in bed, reading some papers. "Morning Rex" the President said, looking up from the paper be was reading.

"Did you get any sleep, Sir?" Rex asked as he crossed the room to open the curtains.

"Very little, I'm afraid" he said, taking off his reading glasses. "What's the overnight reaction from North Carolina?"

"Congressman Tancredo thinks that you're going to use this as an excuse to take away everyone's guns" Rex informed him.

"I wanna see the Vice President, today. Place a call to his office" the President ordered as he rose from bed.

"Yes Sir" Rex nodded. "Also, Mr. Franklin wishes for you to know that the Subcommittee will begin its depositions today" he added.

"Who are they starting with?"

"Ms. Swatello" Rex said.

 **1300 hours local time, 7 July 2003, Command Bridge,** _ **USS Gilchrest**_ **, Port of Naples, Naples, Italy**

"Let's not beat around the bush, Agent DiNozzo" Commander Waller spoke firmly. "2 NCIS Agents ask permission to come aboard and speak privately; either I'm in trouble or someone in my ward room is, which is the same thing" she continued.

"Actually, it ain't" Tony corrected her. "But that's not why we're here" he told her. "4 prostitutes, all Italian Citizens, have been murdered. Each was last seen in the company of a young, white, enlisted man in a naval uniform. Each murder was committed while the Gilchrest was in port"

"There are a lot of ships in this Battle group, Agent DiNozzo" the Commander countered. "But I assume that you've done that math. NCIS wouldn't have sent you out here unless they were absolutely sure" she admitted.

"That is correct, Mam" Paris nodded.

"They're sure as shit sure enough to ask for your cooperation with the investigation" Tony informed her.

"You're talking about a serial killer aboard my ship. Of course, I'll cooperate" she told them. "And I will pray to got that you're wrong" she added.

 **1315 hours local time, 7 July 2003, Officers Ward Room,** _ **USS Gilchrest**_ **, Port of Naples, Naples, Italy.**

"I have 360 personnel on this ship" Commander Waller told them as she poured herself a cup of coffee. "Eliminate all the officers, women and persons of color and you are still looking at a lot of men, Agent DiNozzo" she paused. "And we sail in less than 36 hours"

"We are well aware of the time constraints" Tony told her. "We'll start the breakdown by duty section" he paused. "If my memory severs, during each Port of Call, one duty section remains aboard ship at all times, in rotation, as a skeleton crew. An Arleigh Burke-class should run 4 duties sections. Correct, Commander?"

"That's correct, Agent DiNozzo" she said as she opened the ship's log book.

"Obviously, we'll need to find the duty section that took liberty each time a murder took place"

"You do realize that if you can't do that, then the killer is not on my ship"

"Thank you for that wonderful piece of insight, Commander. You certainly earned your bars today" Tony replied, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

"April 29th?" Paris asked as she looked at her notepad.

"Duty Section 2" Tony read.

"May 6th?"

"Duty Section 1"

"13th of May?"

"13th, Duty Section 3 was onboard"

"And the last murder was the day before last" Paris said.

"Duty section 2, again" Tony snapped the log book shut. "Duty Section 4 was on liberty each time a murder took place" he turned to the Commander.

"Eliminating female and non-white personnel, how many does that leave in Duty Section 4?"

"50-60, I'm not certain off-hand" she said.

"I suggest you find out. We're going to need to see their service records as well" he told her. "In the meantime, inform the Master-at-Arms and Command Master Chief. We're going to need to verify the whereabouts of all of these men during the night of the murder" Tony said. "Also, we're going to need to speak with the Duty Section Leader, most ricki-tick"

"I'll make him available as soon as he comes off duty" Commander Waller told the 2 of them.

"Very well" Tony nodded.

 **0905 hours, 7 July 2003, Conference Room 56E, United States Capitol Building, Washington D.C.**

Ellen sat quietly and listened carefully as the Majority Counsel began his remarks, all carefully taken down by a House reporter. "This proceeding is known as a deposition. The person transcribing the deposition is a House reporter and although she's not a notary public, you were just sworn in by a notary public and were placed under oath. Do you understand?" he asked.

"Yes" Ellen nodded.

"Because you were placed under oath, your testimony here today has the same force and effect as if you were testifying before the committee in a courtroom. Do you understand?"

"Yes" Ellen repeated.

"Ms. Swatello, I notice that at the present time, you do not have legal representation present. If you would like, your testimony can be postponed until such a time that you have obtained such counsel"

"I waive my right to have counsel present" Ellen said.

"Then would you please sign this document indicating so?" he said as he slid a piece of paper to her. Ellen quickly looked it over and signed. "Very well" he paused. "This committee has been granted authorization pursuant to House Resolution 173, my named is Peter Bash. I am Majority Counsel for the House Armed Services Committee. Would you please state your full name for the record"

"Ellen Swatello. E-L-L-E-N S-W-A-T-E-L-L-O" she spelled it out.

"At this time, I'd like the record to indicate that the Majority Counsel has met the witness socially on several occasions, and without Ms. Swatello's objection, I'd like to continue" Peter stated for the record

"I have no objections" Ellen said.

"Very well, let's begin" he paused. "Ms. Swatello, are you here voluntarily or as a result of a subpoena?" he asked.

"Subpoena" Ellen came off a little terser than she had wanted.

"No need to thank me" Peter smiled. "Ellen, this is going to be easy, you can laugh"

"I'll pass"

"Were you recently asked to help organize documents pursuant to this Committee's current investigation?"

"Yes"

"Please describe how that works"

"On instructions from Jared Franklin and the White House Counsel's office, I took over a storage room at the OEOB and began sorting through any interoffice or inter departmental documents from President Obama's time in the Executive Branch as well as the Senate"

"For the record, what is Mr. Franklin's job title?"

"Deputy White House Chief of Staff for Strategic Planning"

"And yours?"

"Special Assistant to the Deputy White House Chief of Staff for Strategic Planning"

"And the OEOB is an acronym for what?"

"Old Executive Office Building?"

"Ok" Peter nodded as he tapped his pen against the table. "My colleagues are gonna ask you a few questions and then we'll get back to me" he told her. Peter then looked over as the man next to him, another lawyer.

"Ms. Swatello, do you keep a photo album?"

"No"

"Do you keep…"

"I'm sorry" she cut him off. "I keep photographs; I don't have them in an album"

"Ok" the man nodded. "Do you keep a scrapbook?"

"No"

"Do you keep letters, notes, or other correspondence you receive from people?"

"Sometimes; a birthday card or a letter from my father"

"Do you keep a diary?"

"No"

"Do you receive gifts from anyone who's currently…"

"I'm sorry, hang on" Peter interrupted. "Would you read that back?" he asked the reporter.

"Question- "Do you keep a diary?". Answer- "No". Question- "Do you receive gifts from…""

"Ok" Peter said, looking over at Ellen. "Ok, go ahead"

 **0945 hours, 7 July 2003, Roosevelt Room, West Wing, White House, Washington D.C.**

"It's 30 Billion in school modernization funds" Gabby said.

"Interest-free?" asked Terry Beckwith, aide to Congressman Lincoln Davis (D-TN), who sat on the House Appropriations Committee.

"Interest-free for school districts. Secretary Bush's staff estimates that it will help build and modernize over 7,000 schools nationwide" she said. "And there's another 1.5 billion for urgent repairs targeted for high-need districts"

"Like roof repairs?"

"Roof repairs, heating and cooling systems, electrical wiring…" she paused. "Terry, the point is we need your boss' vote to get this thing out of committee and onto the floor" Gabby told him.

"You've got it" Terry said. "But the Congressman will be looking for Presidential support for a bill he is co-sponsoring"

"And that is?" Gabby asked.

"The Legal Tender Modernization Act"

"Oh, not that fucking thing again" Gabby said.

"What the hell did you expect, Gabby?" Terry asked. "The Corinthos Triumvirate helped write the bill. You want to tell Sonny Corinthos and his sons no?" he asked.

"How much did your boss take from Corinthos during the last cycle?"

"Halting production of the penny was part of my boss' campaign platform"

"Only because Corinthos wouldn't have dolled out the checks if he didn't"

"We didn't take a dime from Sonny Corinthos" Beckwith defended his boss.

"Just because it's his sister Courtney who cuts the checks doesn't mean that it didn't come from Sonny"

"Last year, the US Mint cut 14 billion pennies and shipped them off to the Federal Reserve which dumped them in our laps"

"Terry…"

"Gabby, do you want you're 30 billion for school repairs?"

"Well with 140 Billion pennies, we're well on our way" she smiled.

"Gabby…"

"Terry, I can't guarantee the White House's support on this" Gabby told him.

"I don't need that" Terry cut her off. "If the White House won't support the bill, I need to give my boss a good reason why"

"You've gotta be kidding me" she gave him a look.

"Nope"

"Hang on" she said, holding up her finger as she got up and left the room. She returned a minute later with the smartest person she knew in tow; Rex. "Rex, Terry needs a good reason why the White House can't support his boss' bill" Gabby said.

"Ok" Rex nodded to her before turning to Terry. "Terry, who's on the Penny?"

"President Lincoln"

"And he was from what state?"

"Illinois"

"And from what state was the President elected to the Senate?"

"Yeah that works" Terry nodded.

"Good" Rex replied. He turned to Gabby "Am I done here? Can I go back to doing actual work now" he asked. Gabby nodded. With that, Rex walked back to his desk in the outer Oval Office. He was about to sit down when the President called his name.

"Rex!"

"Coming Sir" he said as he walked in, finding the President sitting behind his desk, reading over a piece of paper. "Yes Sir?"

"You took the National League?" he asked, holding up the office betting sheet for the upcoming Major League Baseball All-Star Game.

"But the White Sox play in the American League"

"Yes Sir, I'm well aware of that"

"And yet you picked the National League"

"Yes Sir"

"Why? Because we've already established that the White Sox play in the American League"

"My mother is an Atlanta Braves fan Sir. I take her lead on the matter"

"A Texas girl, a Braves fan?"

"Yes Sir" he nodded

"Rex in this White House, we always pick the side that has the White Sox. They're from Chicago…"

"So are the Cubs" he grinned

"Out" the President pointed to the door.

"Yes Sir" Rex complied. As he walked back to his desk, the Vice President walked into the outer office. Rex held up a finger and backtracked into the Oval Office. "Mr. President, the Vice President" he said.

"Thank you" the President looked up.

"Rex" the VP nodded to Rex as they walked past each other.

"Sir" he nodded in reply.

"John" the President got up and walked around to shake hands with his number 2 man. He motioned for him to have a seat in one of the arm chairs that faced away from the desk. The President took a seat in the arm chair opposite.

"Thank you, Mr. President" he replied as he took his seat.

"Do you know this church?" he asked.

"No Sir"

"The United Baptist Church in Greensboro?"

"No Sir" he repeated.

"You want a beer?" the President asked.

"Sir?" Vice President Edwards through him a confused look. "It's 10am" he added.

"Never stopped me before" the President said. "Rex, grab us a couple of beers!" he yelled to the outer office. Rex appeared a minute late with 2 glasses of orange juice. "Rex, I asked for beer"

"Yes Sir" he nodded.

"This isn't beer"

"Yes Sir, very good sir" Rex smiled.

"Rex?"

"Strict orders from Mrs. Martin" he said.

"She's worse than my wife" the President quipped.

"You're not married" the Vice President told him.

"And now you see why" the President smiled as he sipped his OJ. "That will be all Rex"

"Yes Sir" he said retreating from the office.

"I need you to go to North Carolina, John" the President told him.

"You don't beat around the bush, do you?"

"Nope"

"You want to send _me_ To North Carolina?"

"It's what North Carolinians do" he paused. "A decade or so ago, we passed some really good gun control laws, so the NRA turned its back on Congress and went after state legislatures instead" the President began. "Wayne LaPierre and his cronies have systematically worked the legislatures to weaken conceal-carry laws, the effects of which is to increase gun sales and pad its own membership"

"Mr. President…"

"Rex!"

"Yes, Mr. President?" Rex appeared in the doorway.

"Is your father a member of the NRA?" he asked.

"No" Rex shook his head. "Along with my Aunt Elizabeth and Uncle Rick, he resigned his membership in 1995"

"Why?" the Vice President asked.

"Wayne LaPierre's comments about the Oklahoma City bombing" Rex said.

"I remember them oh too well" the President said.

"Rex, you're a Conservative?" the Vice President asked.

"More or less" Rex nodded.

"What's your opinion on gun control?"

"On the whole, I'm in favor of gun ownership. I myself own 2 handguns and a shotgun" he said.

"What about conceal carry?" the President asked.

"Well, truthfully, I like the law that my Great Uncle passed back when he was Governor of Virginia. It's a "may issue" law"

"Allowing local law enforcement to decide who can get one" the president spoke.

"Yes Sir" Rex nodded.

"You have one, I assume?" the Vice President asked.

"Yes Sir" Rex replied as he fished out his wallet.

"The President wants to send me down to Charlotte, to speak to the National Conference on his behalf" the Vice President told him after looking over his permit.

"That is what North Carolinians do" Rex smiled.

"It's also what Vice Presidents do" the President added.

 **1605 hours local time, 7 July 2003, Officers Ward Room,** _ **USS Gilchrest**_ **, Port of Naples, Naples, Italy.**

"Petty Officer Marshall, you're the duty section leader for Section 4?" Tony asked.

"Yes Sir" he nodded.

"Have a seat" Tony instructed. The Petty Officer removed his hat and took a seat across the table from Tony and Paris. "We're interested in personnel who fit a specific profile" Tony handed him a stack of personnel files.

"Unmarried white males under the age of 25 whom are known to go with prostitutes" Paris informed the Petty Officer.

"Am I allowed to know why?" asked Petty Officer Marshall

"Not at this time" Tony replied. "We're also interested in sailors whose whereabouts cannot be verified on these dates between the hours of 2100 and midnight" he said, handing him a slip of paper with the date of each of the murders.

"I don't know about this last part, Sir" the Petty Officer told him. "The first 3 are back before we deployed to the Arabian Sea. I don't think most guys will remember back that far" he admitted.

"Understood" Tony nodded. "Just do the best you can" he added.

"When do you need to know, Sir?"

"Most Ricki Tick" Tony said, causing the Petty Officer to look up at him.

"Aye aye Sir" the Petty Officer snapped to attention, something which surprised Paris a little bit.

"Dismissed, Petty Officer" Tony excused him.

"Aye Sir" the PO nodded, making his leave. Tony stood up and poured himself a cup of coffee. "Say we narrow it down to a list of a dozen names or so, what do we look for then?" he asked his partner.

"Behavior patterns: Anti-social, anti-authoritarian, prone to violence" she paused. "And he drinks; heavily at times. Binge drinking, but only after the killing is done, not before or during. He's far too meticulous to let himself go until he's completed every last detail of his fantasy scenario"

"Gee, finding a sailor who drinks, that should narrow it down to the entire fucking navy" Tony replied sarcastically. "Ok madam profiler, riddle me this, why does he pose them in a chair where they appear to be looking out the window at his ship in the harbor?"

"Most likely he enjoys the idea that once he's back on ship, he can see them" she paused. "Or they can see him" she added. "We have to get inside his little fantasy world. If we knew why he does what he does, we'd be a hell of a lot closer to knowing who he is" she concluded.

 **1130 hours, 7 July 2003, outside Ellen Swatello's Apartment building, Georgetown, Washington D.C.**

The sun that had shone only a few hours early was long gone as the skies above opened up. Holding her umbrella with one hand, Ellen used her other to fish her keys out of her pocket. As she did, she came to a stop, looking at the man who was sitting on the building's front steps. "Hey" she said, letting her keys drop from her hand back into her purse.

"How's it going?" the man asked, holding his own umbrella as well.

"How'd you get here before me?" Ellen asked.

"I drove"

"Peter, you're the Majority Counsel who's investigating me and my boss, you shouldn't be here"

"I shouldn't" he nodded in agreement.

"Then why the hell are you here?" he asked, starting to get more than a little annoyed.

"I need to know why you lied" Peter told her.

"What are you talking about?"

"Ellen…"

"I didn't lie"

"I saw your diary" Peter told her. "When I was over that night. You keep a diary. Why'd you say you didn't?"

"I don't keep a diary" Ellen countered.

"I saw it" Peter told her forcefully.

"You didn't, because there is no diary"

"Ellen, it's just you and me here" Peter said as he stood up. "What's in there that compelled you to lie to the committee?"

"It's just me and you?" Ellen repeated his words, trying to stifle a laugh. "It's a partisan witch hunt sorely for the purpose of covering up another partisan witch hunt" she told him. "Not only that, I think that you were a little bit smarmy with you're ' _Ellen, it's ok, you can laugh_ '. Was that charm?"

"Ellen…"

"There is no diary" she repeated as she pushed past him.

"18 U.S.C., 1001; Lying to Congress: $10,000 and not more than 5 years in prison" he recited.

"Peter…"

"18 U.S.C., 1505: Obstruction of Proceedings before Departments, Agencies and Committees: not more than 5 years. 2 U.S.C., 192: Contempt of Congress: $1,000 and imprisonment in a common jail for not more than 12 months" he paused. "Ellen, it was a perfectly innocent mistake" he told her. "Please, let me talk to your lawyer and help you walk this back" he pleaded with her. Ellen only stared at him.

"Just out of curiosity, what would you say?" she asked. "That you thought you saw a diary while you were hunting around for your boxer shorts?" she asked. "Like you said, you shouldn't be here" she said as she walked up the steps.

 **1145 hours, 7 July 2003, Oval Office, West Wing, White House, Washington D.C.**

"Mr. President, 29 states have shall issue laws" the Vice President continued.

"Jesus Christ, were you not listening before when Rex was in here" the President countered. They had been going like this for the past nearly 2 hours. "All you have to do is look at a place like New Jersey, where they have "may issue" laws. That's all. Changing that one little word makes at the difference in the world…"

"Mr. President, I'm not saying…"

"It means that Law Enforcement gets to decide who…"

"For fuck's sake, Mr. President, I know what the fuck it does" the Vice President yelled, bringing about a silence over the room. "I'm sorry Sir, that was out of line" he apologized. The President took a deep breath as he stood up.

"No, that's alright John" he told him as he strode across the room. He pressed a button under a picture of George Washington, swinging the frame out, revealed the wet bar behind it. "Whiskey?" he asked, holding up the bottle.

"No thank you, Mr. President" the Vice President waved him off.

"Your loss" the President said as he poured himself a few fingers.

"It's not even noon, Sir"

"This job is gonna fucking kill me, ya know that?" he said after taking a sip. He quickly got back to the subject at hand. "Right now, there is a "may issue" law before the North Carolina Legislature, if you go down there…"

"It's suicide, and you know it"

"It's called counter-scheduling. You go in front of an unfriendly crowd and tell them things they don't want to hear. It shows you have the courage of your convictions"

"Maybe it does to the editorial board of the Washington Post, but not to the voters who actually decide elections"

"You're a hero in North Carolina"

"I was a hero in North Carolina" he replied. "That all changed when I became your Vice President"

"North Carolinians don't like people who have the courage of their convictions?"

"They're not my convictions, they're yours" the Vice President told him. "And to answer your question from before, I was listening to Rex. And with the exception of his younger sister, every single member of Rex's family is a gun owner. We will get no where treating every single gun owner in this country like they're a psychopath. Not to mention in the South, where guns are a tradition and heritage passed down from father to son…"

"That's not good enough, not anymore"

"Sir?"

"We already tamed the fucking frontier John. There is no more "Wild Wild West""

"Sir, the NRA will say that you're taking advantage of the shooting in Greensboro, that you like it when shit like this happens"

"She was nine years old" the President.

"I know" the Vice President nodded. "But let me tell you something else, Mr. President" he paused. "Last month, a man in Idaho killed all 6 members of his family, including his pregnant wife. You want to know why the liberal intelligentsia didn't lose their collective fucking minds? Because he did it with an axe"

"What's your point?"

"They're all too young sir" the Vice President let his words hang in the air.

Meanwhile, out in the hallway, Gabby and Jared were talking over strategy about how to kill Congressman Davis' Penny Bill. "What nags me the most is that at the heart of it all, this isn't really a bad bill" Gabby conceded.

"Of course it isn't, Sonny Corinthos doesn't waste his time on shit bills" Jared told her.

"But still, someone is gonna have to talk to Sonny and Rick about calling off the dogs"

"I thought about that, but the thing is, they didn't pick this bill out of thin air; they genuinely care about it. They're committed to reducing both the deficit and the national debt and they see this as a viable solution to start doing both"

"But it's like putting a Band-Aid on a severed limb"

"It's still better than doing nothing" Jared told her as the sound of clicking heals walked up behind them. Jared spun around to see Ellen walking up to them.

"How'd it go?" Gabby asked.

"Fine" Ellen told him curtly. "Jared, can I speak to you for a moment?"

"What happened?"

"In your office?" she asked. Jared motioned with his arm towards his office. They walked across the bullpen to his office, Jared closing the door behind them.

"What happened?" he repeated.

"I was asked if I kept a diary, and I said no" she paused. "the only problem is, I do keep one"

"Why did you say you didn't?"

"I don't know" she confessed.

"What do you mean you don't know?"

"Nothing in the diary is relevant. I'm the only one…"

"Is there anyone else on the witness list who knows that you keep a diary?"

"No" Ellen told him. "But Peter knows"

"What do you mean?"

"Peter came to see me after the deposition and told me that he saw my diary when he was in my apartment" she told him, her eyes welling up slightly. At first, Jared didn't say anything. He just moved around behind his desk and took a seat. "I swear it wasn't premeditated. Nothing in it is material to the case" she started to hyperventilate. "Nothing in it was…"

"You don't get to decide that!" He barked at her. "You don't get to decide what's material and what isn't, Ellen!"

"Please keep…."

"This is how it happens" he gave her s sharp look. "They don't have dick on the President for the JAG Investigation. They're fucking trolling us. But then you go and hand them a…"

"I know"

"You were subpoenaed! You were under oath! You answer the goddamn fucking question!" he yelled, tossing some papers off his desk.

"I know I screwed up"

"Ya fucking think?!" he yelled. Ellen began to cry

"What… what should I do" she finally got it out.

"Nothing. Don't fucking do anything. You've fucked this up enough as it is"

"Yes Sir" Ellen mumbled.

"Get out" Jared snapped.

Back in the Oval Office, the argument between the President and Vice President had calmed down quite a bit. "John, can I ask you a question?"

"Yes Sir"

"If guns are meant to deter crime from happening, then why conceal them? Wouldn't you want the criminals to know that you were armed?"

"I suppose you would" he said, taking a sip of water.

"Then what's the answer to that?"

"I don't know Sir"

"I carried a weapon when I was in the Army"

"Yes Sir, a fact you all too frequently point out"

"You think it smacks of hypocrisy?"

"No" The Vice President shook his head. "But I think the fact that upstairs in the residence you have not only 2 handguns and a shotgun, but also an M-16, does"

"I don't carry em around John" he paused. "And you know damn well why I have em. It's not some imaginary threat when you live in this building" he said, jabbing his finger into the coffee table.

"Yes Sir, as your predecessors can attest to"

"May they rest in peace"

"Mr. President, gun owners see you're going after conceal carry as a threat to the 2nd Amendment"

"Which I think we can all agree is a stupid-ass amendment that was written back before there were street lamps, let alone a police force"

"Sir…"

"There isn't a need for a citizen militia anymore"

"I agree with you"

"Then say so publicly"

"Mr. President, over 40% of Americans have guns in their homes. Including you, me, your Chief of Staff, the Chairman of our reelection campaign, our campaign manager, and your body man"

"Only 16% of Americans believe that gun ownership is an absolute right; 9% believe it's an absolute wrong. There is a huge middle ground here. One we can win"

"Not when we're running the JAG Defense, Sir"

"You stood behind me when I did it"

"As I always will, Sir" the Vice President affirmed. "But that doesn't change the fact that you mislead the United States Congress"

"On a bullshit case where the political motivations were right out in the open"

"And that is the only reason why you haven't been impeached yet!" the Vice President yelled. The President took it in for a second before he started laughing.

"It isn't easy being my Vice President, is it?"

"No Sir, it is not"

"But it's the only way you get the nomination in '08, being my Vice President. You do know that, right?" the President smiled. The Vice President leaned back against the wall.

"Just so long as you know that the only way you get re-elected is if I'm on the ticket. You know that, do you Sir?"

"So they tell me". The Vice President turned to leave. "You'll go to North Carolina?"

"Of course Sir" he nodded. "But I want a seat at the table"

"Fair enough" the President returned the nod.

"Have a good day, Mr. President"

"You too John"

 **1830 hours local time, 7 July 2003, Captain's Stateroom,** _ **USS Gilchrest**_ **, Port of Naples, Naples, Italy.**

Tony knocked loudly on the door. " _Enter!"_ the annoyed voice called back. Tony opened the door and he and Paris stepped inside, closing the hatch behind them.

"Good evening, Commander" Tony said. "With the help of Petty Officer Marshall, we have narrowed our list down to 2 suspects" Tony told her as Paris handed her to personnel files.

"Both are known to drink heavily on occasion, have histories of brawling and come from broken homes" Paris explained. Commander Waller opened the first file.

"Petty Officer 3rd Class Lester Petrosky" she read. "He certainly wouldn't be my first choice" she said. Then she opened the second. "This one, however, would" she read. "Petty Officer 3rd Class Benjamin Holt. Uncooperative, not very well suited for the service. He's a loner, and he thinks he's smarter than everybody else"

"He could very well be right" Paris informed her. "Serial killers often a higher-than-average intelligence"

"We'll need to interview the 2 of them when they come off liberty" Tony said.

"You wont have to wait that long for Petty Officer Holt" the Commander told them. "I had him at Captain's Mast just this morning. He was drunk on shore and took a swing at a Master-At-Arms. SPs brought him back to the ship" she paused, handing Tony the files. "He's confined to Quarters, Special Agent DiNozzo"

After leaving the Captain's stateroom, Tony and Paris were escorted down to the enlisted birthing, where they found Petty Officer Holt. Paris was quick to advise him of his rights. "Look, I understand my rights" he told them both. "I know that I made a mistake. I had a few too many on liberty" he admitted.

"According to the Shore Patrol, you had a few too many in your back pocket" Tony read from the SP report as he walked around the room. Paris was seated at a table in the middle, adjacent to the Petty Officer. "You tried to smuggle a flask aboard ship" he added.

"Smuggling liquor is a serious offense, Petty Officer" Paris told him. "Why'd you need a drink so badly?" she asked.

"I guess maybe I just needed to blow off a little steam, Mam" he paused. "Like I said, I made a mistake"

"You have a girlfriend back home, Petty Officer?" Tony asked.

"Not at the moment"

"According to your file, you father is deceased?"

"Yeah, so?"

"Do you keep in contact with your mother?"

"Can't say that I do, being at sea and all"

"Your father was a sailor, wasn't he?" Paris asked.

"Yes Mam"

"See him much, growing up?"

"I guess we can pretty much rule out the _Ozzie and Harriet_ home life, if that's what you're getting at, Mam"

"Your Duty Section Leader tells us that you've been known to favor bars that are frequented by prostitutes. Would you say that that is an accurate statement?" Tony asked.

"Personally Sir, I believe that what happens between consenting adults is private" the Petty Officer retorted.

"Where were you 2 nights ago between the hours of 2100 and 2330?"

"Club Vesuvius, it's a watering hole near the port" he then turned to Paris. "I got drunk, very drunk. I stayed drunk" he paused. "That is why you're here, right? Why you 2 are talking to me?" he asked, turning back to Tony. "That is unless I've misconstrued our conversation, Special Agent DiNozzo"

"That will be all for now, Petty Officer" Tony said as he and Paris turned to leave. After Paris stepped over the knee knocker, Tony stopped and turned around. "Oh, one more thing, Petty Officer. Would you consent to giving a blood sample?" he asked.

"I guess I'd have to know why you'd want it before I could answer that question" he paused. "Commander Waller gonna Court Martial me over half a flask of hooch and scuffle on the beach?" he smiled at them. With that, Tony and Paris made their way back up to the main deck.

"So, what do you think?" Tony asked.

"Well, what do you think?" Paris replied.

"Well, I think that if we have Interpol take a picture of Petty Officer Holt and asked around at Club Vesuvius, and at the hotel where the murder took place, I think we just might have our man" Tony said. Paris remained silent. "You disagree?" he asked her

"He doesn't match up to one part of the profile"

"Which part?" Tony asked.

"His reaction to the blood sample. The guy we're looking for is meticulous; he didn't leave any DNA at any of the crime scenes and he knows it. There is absolutely no reason for him to be afraid to give a blood sample" she told him.

"But would he be sure?" Tony asked.

"He'd be highly confident. He'd likely have anticipated the question and been prepared for it"

"That may be so, but that little prick was definitely hiding something"

"Oh, that much is certain" Paris agreed. "I just don't think that we have our killer" she cautioned him.

"Well, if you're right, then that leaves us with only one suspect, Petty Officer Petrosky, ad he's our there, right now" Tony spoke ominously as he looked out over the water, towards the city.

 **2230 hours local time, 7 July 2003,** _ **Cafe Rosso,**_ **Naples, Italy.**

It was a few hours later when Special Agent Melankovic joined them. "Jane, this is Master Chief Proctor, the Command Master Chief aboard the Gilchrest. Chief Proctor, this is Special Agent Jane Melankovic from our Naples Field Office" Tony said as Jane and the Chief shook hands.

"Working late tonight, Special Agent DiNozzo?" Jane asked as she took her seat at their table outside the Café.

"Unavoidable" Tony said as he sipped his coffee.

"I was briefed before I came over here; I was told that you have a shortlist of suspects?

"2" Tony told her. "One of them, highly promising, although the Probette, seems to disagree"

"It's merely a hunch" Paris replied.

"And you believe that the other suspect is here tonight, near the waterfront?"

"He's here" Chief Proctor spoke up. "But I'll tell you this much, he's no murdered"

"He is, however, unaccounted for during the hours of the last murder" Tony replied.

"And the Master Chief agrees that he very well could have been with a prostitute during that time" Paris added.

"And with all due respect Mam, that doesn't mean squat" the Chief turned to Special Agent Melankovic. "He's a big tough kid from West Virginia. But he's not mean and he wouldn't hurt a woman" he added.

"I'll have his photo distributed. If he's here, we'll find him" Jane said.

"Or we'll find him" Chief Proctor told her. "A boy his size can't exactly hide out in a crowd"

After Jane left to distribute the photos, Tony Paris and Chief Proctor began roaming the streets, hoping to find the Petty Officer before the Italian Authorities did. "Chief, I hoping that you can provide us a little insight on where he might be" Tony told him.

"Well, if we don't see him, I'm hoping to see one of his buddies. He wound be far from them. We find them, we'll find him" the Chief replied. And as the old saying goes, "Speak of the devil, and he shall appear", as a large man in an enlisted uniform barreled past them with Special Agent Melankovic in pursuit. She tried to grab him, but the large man wheeled around and clocked her in the face with a left hook. Knocking the agent to the ground, he took off running.

"Petrosky!" the Master Chief yelled, but the large man just kept running. Tony quickly took off after him, Paris following behind.

"Stay with him, I'm going around!" Tony pointed to Paris as he took off. Petty Officer Petrosky was surprisingly fast for his size and was able to break away from her. Just as she tough she was about to lose him, Tony burst out from an alley, throwing his shoulder into Petrosky's knees, sending the large man to the ground. Both men were quickly back to their feet, Petrosky holding up his fists. Before Tony could react, Petrosky swung, connecting with a right hook to Tony's jaw. Tony quickly countered with a right hook of his own, connecting with the Petty Officer's jaw. He then threw several left and right jabs into the sailor's midsection. The blows seemed to have little effect, as he reached out and grabbed Tony by the neck, lifting him up, trying to choke the lift from him. Paris quickly jumped on the Petty Officer's back, wrapping her arms around his neck in a rear naked choke. Petrosky reacted quickly tossing both Paris and Tony off of him and into vendor's booth on the sidewalk. Tony was the first one up, coughing as he tried to regain his breath. "Ok, shithead, you want a fight, I'll give ya a fuckin fight" Tony grinned as he raised his fists. Petrosky wound up threw several shots at Tony's head. With his adrenaline pumping, Tony was quickly to dodge all of them, Petrosky threw several more, a couple of them clipping Tony in the jaw. He wound up again, throwing everything he had into the shot, connecting with the left side of Tony's face with a haymaker. The shot staggered Tony, who spit out some blood before giving the Petty Officer a bloody smile.

With Petrosky distracted, Paris got to her feat and flicked out her steel baton. She came up behind the Petty Officer and slammed it into the back of his knee. She did it again and again, forcing him down to the ground where Tony delivered several right hands. Tony delivered one final blow, a haymaker of his own, knocking Petrosky onto his back. When Petrosky started to get back up, Tony decided that he had had enough, and drew his Berretta, flicking off the safety and cocking the hammer all in one swift motion. "Enough" Tony warned him. Undeterred, Petrosky still moved to get up. "Oh, you're just fuckin stupid, ain't ya?" Tony said as he raised his weapon and took aim. "Stand down boy!" Tony yelled at him. Paris came up beside him, her e9mm Ruger drawn and cocked. Just as the Petty Officer was about to get up, Master Chief Proctor and Special Agent Melankovic came running up.

"Petrosky!" the Master Chief yelled. The sailor turned and saw them both, blood dripping from Jane's nose.

"Master Chief?" Petrosky asked stunned.

"You're in enough trouble as it is son, don't make it worse for yourself" he warned him. The Chief then turned to Tony. "He's all yours Special Agent DiNozzo". Tony stepped forward and pistol whipped the sailor to the ground, kicking him in the ribs before turning him onto his stomach. He reached behind his back and pulled out 2 sets of cuffs.

"Mirandize this piece of shit" Tony coughed as he coughed him.

"Petty Officer 3rd Class Lester Petrosky" Paris spoke, breathing heavily. "You are under arrest for resisting arrest and assault on a federal officer…" she began. Tony didn't listen to the rest. He just fell back against the wall of a nearby building sliding to the ground as tried to compose himself.

 **0100 hours local time, 8 July 2003, Brig, Master-At-Arms Shack,** _ **USS Gilchrest**_ **, Port of Naples, Naples, Italy**

It had taken a while to clean up the mess with the Italian Authorities, as well as transport the Petty Officer back to the ship. Once he had been confined to the Brig; (and after they were checked out by the ship's doctor), Tony and Paris made their way there to question him. "You enjoy your leave, Petty Officer?" Tony asked him.

"What?"

"Did you have any fun, Petty Officer? With women?" Paris jumped in.

"Why are you asking me this?"

"Answer the fucking question" Tony barked.

"I was with a woman tonight" the Petty Officer confessed. "I paid her, just like you're supposed to"

"You are aware that the UMCJ prohibits such an act?" Paris told him.

"No Mam, I was not"

"Where were you 2 nights ago?" she asked.

"I don't know, I was drunk"

"What happened before you got drunk, Petty Officer?" she pressed him.

"Before…Uh… I started drinking as soon as I got there"

"Son, if there's anything you wanna tell us, now would be the time" Tony looked him right in the eye.

"I swear it sir, I didn't know what type of place it was. All my buddies told me, "take here, she likes you", so I did" he started to sob. "I wouldn't have happened if I wasn't so drunk. It was disgusting, I didn't mean for it to happen. I'm not like that"

"Is that why you cleaned her up afterward?" Tony asked.

"Her?" the Petty Officer looked up at him, confusion sewn to his face. "It wasn't a her, Sir. I'm sorry I beat him up, but what he did to me that wasn't right; pretending to be a girl an all"

"You were with a transvestite?" Paris asked.

"Yes Mam" he nodded, ashamed. "I was so drunk, but I went crazy when I found out" he sobbed. "I took off before any police showed up".

"Take his statement" Tony ordered as he flicked out his cellphone

After re-arresting the Petty Officer for assault, Tony and Paris quickly made their way back to enlisted birthing. They burst in, finding Petty Officer Holt lying in his rack. The Petty Officer slowly got up as they stepped in. "A colleague of ours checked out your alibi, Petty Officer. And guess what? I didn't pan out. The Bartender at Club Vesuvius doesn't remember seeing you until well after midnight"

"He was busy slinging drink, I was at a back table"

"No one else on staff can recall you either" Paris told him. "Neither can the other members of your section, who tell us that it was at least 0015 before you showed up"

"They remember wrong then"

"Keep to that story son" Tony grinned. "But it'll only take us a matter of time before we find the one witness that saw you leave with that girl. And then, well, then it will all be over". Tony watched as guilt and worry washed over the Petty Officer's face.

"If I talk, will it make any difference?" he asked.

"You mean, can you use it as mitigation before the court?" Paris asked. "I can't speak to that, but Special Agent DiNozzo has some good friends at JAG HQ. I'm sure he can put in a word"

"Ok" the Petty Officer nodded. "There was this girl there that night" he paused with a gulp. "I just kind of…um…snapped. I swear I've never done anything like this before"

"What happened?" Tony asked.

"She was pretty. She smiled at me, I thought she liked me, so I waited until the place closed and I followed her into the alley out back. I tried to talk to her but she just started slapping at me. I got angry". He paused and looked at Paris. "I know that's no excuse, but after that, things got… out of hand"

"What did you do? Exactly" Tony growled at him.

"You know how it goes Sir, I thought she wanted it"

"You raped her" Tony asked, not showing any emotion.

"Yes Sir" he confessed. "I didn't mean to do it, I just figured she liked it a little rough"

"Who was this girl?"

"A waitress, at this café" he told her. "I'm ashamed of what I did, Sir"

"Was she still alive when you left her?" Tony asked forcefully.

"What?" the Petty Officer looked absolutely stunned. "What are you talking about?" he gasped. "I didn't kill her, I didn't kill anybody"

"Cuff him" Tony told Paris.

 **2100 hours, 7 July 2003, Farragut Square, Washington D.C.**

The rain had finally dissipated as Jared and Ellen sat quietly on a bench in the middle of the small park in the square. Upon hearing footsteps approaching, Jared stood up, and tuned to see Peter Bash walking up. Jared walked to him, leaving Ellen sitting on the bench. "There's a coffee shop across the street behind you. You have one hour, you can read it there" Jared told him, handing him the diary. "I haven't read it, but if anything bothers you, you'll issue a subpoena in the morning. You'll have it back before the end of the day. If not, then that's that"

"Yeah" Peter replied.

"If I read about this in the newspaper or on drudge report, or anything else happens that I don't like; I have the entries for June 24th and 25th" he cautioned.

"What's June 24th and 25th" Peter asked.

"You" Jared told him. Peter nodded and walked away towards the coffee shop. Jared retook his seat next to Ellen and put his arm around her. "It's gonna be ok" he told her.

 **0930 hours local time, 8 July 2003, Waterfront, Port of Naples, Naples, Italy**

"Local LEOs found the girl and the tranny" Special Agent Melankovic told them. "They confirm the stories of both Petty Officers" she added.

"Which puts us back at square one" Tony growled as he lit a cigarette.

"I'm Sorry Sir, I thought the profile was dead on" Paris apologized.

"Don't beat yourself up Probie" Tony told her. "Your profile secured 2 felony convictions, and that ain't nothing" he blew smoke through his nose.

"But we still have a serial killer on the loose. And the _Gilchrest_ puts to sea tonight"

"What's its next Port-of-Call?" Jane asked.

"Monaco" Tony told him.

"Then I will notify local LEOs there" Jane told them. "I have a disturbing feeling that we will be seeing each other very soon". With that, she shook hands with both of them and took her leave.

"What do we do now?"

"Head back to D.C." Tony told her. "Director Morrow won't want us waiting around for this psycho to strike next". Catching some movement in his peripheral vision, Tony turned to see a sailor walking towards them.

"Special Agent DiNozzo, Agent Summerskill" he nodded.

"Petty Officer Marshall" Tony smiled. "Finally taking a little liberty for yourself, I see"

"Yes Sir" the Petty Officer smiled. "Did you find what you were looking for?"

"Unfortunately, we're still looking" Tony told him.

"Well, if I can be of any more assistance, just let me know. Although we are shipping out soon" he told them. Paris looked over his shoulder and saw a beautiful woman waiting for him.

"looks like someone is a little worried that you're squandering your liberty talking to us, Petty Officer" she smiled.

"We were just married this year" he smiled. "Sharon tries to meet me in as many liberty ports as she can"

"I take it that Naples is a popular destination" Paris smiled.

"That it is Mam" The Petty Officer smiled brightly.

"Well than I suggest you deploy back to your wife" Paris told him. "It looks like she wants a long good by" she winked.

"Yes Mam, thank you Mam" he nodded with a big ole grin before heading back to his wife. Paris turned back to Tony who had a curious look on his face as he watched a group of women see some other sailors off.

"What is it?" Paris asked.

"What if the profiling did work after all?" Tony asked her.

"But I didn't" Paris told him.

"Yes it did" Tony smiled as he wagged his finger. "The only problem is, is that we made an assumption" he paused. "We assumed that the killer was on board ship when she made Port. What if he wasn't? What if he just met the ship at each port-of-call?"

"It wouldn't be hard to find a dependent who came to every city"

"Come on, this son of a bitch hasn't escaped us yet"

 **1015 hours local time, 8 July 2003, Captain's Stateroom,** _ **USS Gilchrest**_ **, Port of Naples, Naples, Italy**

"Commander, we have a new line of inquiry" Tony told her. "We need to interview every member of the ship's crew that has had a dependent meet them at all 4 ports-of-call"

"But I thought that we have verified the whereabouts of every member of Duty Section 4?" Commander Waller asked.

"Yes we did" Paris told her. "But we eliminated the sailors, not their dependents" she corrected her.

"Our profile is still likely right, but we incorrectly made the assumption that he was on board this ship"

"We now believe that it's a spouse or boyfriend. Anyone who met this ship on the dates of each murder"

"According to your records, there are 25 female sailors on board, that certainly narrows it down" Paris told her. They both watched as a look of realization passed over the Commander's face. "What is it, Commander?" she asked. The Commander leaned around and gazed at a photo on her desk.

"You forgot about me, Agent Summerskill" the Commander told her. "There are 26 females on this boat"

"We already checked your file, Commander" Paris told her. "If I'm not mistaken, your husband passed a number of years ago. Have you remarried?"

"No" she told them. "No, I'm a widow" she paused. "But I have a stepson, Peter, from my husband's first marriage" she paused again. "Um…Peter has had some problems in the past with anger, violent behavior" she told them. "But he's had treatment, he's gotten his life together" she rationalized

"He's visited you? Met the ship while it was in Port?" Tony asked.

"He's studying in Europe" she told them. "He called me in Ravenna the day that we arrived" she told them. He wanted to see me. I didn't…" she stumbled over the words. "I didn't really have that much time for him right then" she told them. "He was angry, but…"

"Do you think it's possible he visited the other ports?" Paris asked her.

"It's possible" she told them as-a-matter-of-factly. "I, uh… I know one way to find out" she paused. "He said that he'd run out of money as asked if I could give him one of my credit cards"

"You think he's capable of this?"

"He's had the best possible therapy and treatment that I could afford" she said, looking away in shame. "I'm deeply afraid that your profile my not be that off at all"

"Commander, if your son is still here in Naples, or rather, if he ever was here, we will find him" Tony said as he stood up. "In the mean time, I suggest that you remain aboard ship. Do not try and contact him. if he contacts you, keep him talking and find out where he is. Am I clear?"

"Crystal" she nodded.

"Also, if you could give your credit card information to Agent Summerskill, that would also help" Tony said as he leaned over to whisper in Paris' ear. "Once you get the information, call Dr. Scuito. If by some miracle she isn't coked out of her mind, she might actually be of some use finding this bastard" he told her.

 **1500 hours local time, 8 July 2003, La Dimora Hotel, Naples, Italy.**

For once, Dr. Scuito actually proved quite helpful and hand no trouble tracking the credit card that Peter Haller had been using. She had not only been able to confirm his presence during all 4 murders, but also the current hotel that he was staying at. Deciding that contacting the local authorities would only arouse Haller's attention, Tony and Paris went in alone. Haller's room was on the 3rd floor, in a room that over looked the busy street below. When they reached the door, Tony checked his side arm. "You expecting a fight?" Paris asked.

"I don't know. Tuck your Ruger in your waistband; I don't want him to get spooked by a holster" he told her. Once her weapon was out of sight, Tony knocked on the door. It opened a few moments later. "Peter Haller?" he asked.

"Yes?" the young man replied.

"I'm Supervisory Special Agent DiNozzo, this is Probationary Agent Summerskill, we with NCIS" Tony flashed his badge.

"If you're looking for my step-mother, she's aboard the Gilchrest" he told them.

"Actually, we wanted to talk to you" Paris told him. "May we come in?"

"Why?" he gave them a look. When that didn't get a reaction from either agent, he back down. "Fine, why not?" he took a step back and opened it for them. They stepped inside, closing the door behind them. "Am I missing something? I'm not in the Navy" he told them.

"Yes, we were able to deduce that all on out own believe it or not" Tony replied sarcastically, looking for Haller to give a reaction. He didn't.

"Is Amanda is some sort of trouble?"

"Peter, NCIS believes that a sailor under Commander Waller's command has been murdering women in the ports of call the Gilchrest has visited.

"Really?" he replied, again, no reaction. "She never mentioned that to me" he added.

"That doesn't surprise you?" Paris asked.

"No, she and I don't usually pick up the phone to chat"

"But you did speak to her in Ravenna, though not in Messina or Naples, though you were there" Tony pointed out. "We checked the credit card records"

"I like to travel, she pays for it"

"We've drawn up a profile of the killer, would you like to hear it?" Paris asked. Haller took a deep inhale.

"Sure" he smiled wickedly. Tony suddenly felt the weight of his holstered Beretta under his leather jacket get a little bit heavier.

"He's smart, but not as smart as he thinks" Paris began.

"Most people aren't" Haller interrupted.

"He thinks he's good looking, but women don't find him attractive" she continued. They're not interested in him"

"Is that why he kills them?" Haller asked.

"It's not quite that simple, Peter" Tony crossed his arms, his right hand subtly tucking itself under his jacket.

"We don't yet know why he does it, but he's done it 4 times already and he's gotten good at it" Paris told him. "He knows and takes what he needs with him everywhere" she paused. "Ropes to tie them up with, gloves, cleaning supplies… his murder kit"

"He's not really a sailor though, is he Peter?" Tony asked.

"How would I know?" he replied.

"But he's got a uniform, doesn't he?" Paris added.

"Look's like you're getting ready to check out" Tony observed. "Mind if we take a look through your luggage?"

"You got a search warrant?"

"Well, Peter, actually, I don't need one" Tony told him as he took a couple of steps toward the bed. "We're not in the United States and the room is registered under your mother's name" Tony told him as Paris moved back to the door, deadbolting it and sliding the chain across. "She's given her consent. As Tony moved toward the bed, Paris watched as Haller grabbed something from under his coat, which lay on a small table.

"Tony!" she yelled. Tony looked up and saw Haller produce a TEC-9 machine pistol.

"Down!" Tony rushed back to her, pushing her inside the bathroom a burst of gun ripped apart the floor. several more bursts erupted followed by the sound of broken glass. After a few seconds, Tony drew his Berretta and cautiously moved towards the bathroom door. his weapon at the ready, he darted out, ready to fire. But he didn't have to, Haller was gone, having jumped from the window. "Fuck" Tony growled as he uncocked his weapon and flicked the safety back on. Paris came out to join him, moving towards Haller's open suitcase on the bed.

"Bingo" she said, holding up a navy enlisted uniform.

"Contact Special Agent Melankovic. We're gonna need to bring in the Italian Authorities"

 **1800 hours local time, 8 July 2003, US 6** **th** **Army Forward Command HQ, Alexandria, Iraq- 31 miles south of Baghdad**

"You still haven't told me how you managed to wriggle out of having to head stateside" 1st Lieutenant Hagan asked as they looked over a map that was rolled out across the hood of their Humvee.

"I told Morrell that I'd call your Mother" Three grinned as he flicked away a spent cigarette. The Lieutenant gave him a look. "I galls you that that isn't even a joke, doesn't it" he smiled.

"If you weren't so good at what you do…"

"You ain't gotta tell me twice, Sir" Three joked. "Any word on the final assault on Baghdad?"

"Nothing yet. The Marines are still conducting mop-up operation in Fallujah, once they finish, we'll have a better idea"

"What's taking them so long, I thought that Saddam had his guys pull back to defend the Capital?"

"He did" Tilden confirmed. "But it seems that pacifying the local populace is harder than expected"

"Well, you know what they call a Marine with a 120 IQ?" Three grinned. The LT only shrugged.

"A platoon"

"Do me a favor?"

"Don't tell me not to make jokes, it won't end well"

"No, I actually get that part. Jokes are your defense mechanism against all the shit that comes flying at you"

"What's the favor, Sir?" Three asked.

"Ditch that French piece you've been carrying around"

"Never" Three shot back. "I love this fucking gun"

"How do you keep the ammo for it?"

".32 S&W Long" Three said, drawing the revolver and holding it up. "I've been pilfering every dead froggie we come across" he told his temporary CO. "Say what you want about the snail eaters, but this is one held of weapon"

"What if I order you to get rid of that thing?"

"Please don't" Three pleaded. "I like you Sir, and I'd hate to have to disobey one of your orders"

"Ok, then how about this" he said. "Patch things up with Sky Train boys" he said, giving Three a grin of his own. "See, I can tell jokes too"

"At least my jokes are funny"

"Not as much as you think"

"Oh yes they are" Three assured him. "And as for our friends in the 101st, its only one of them that seems to have a hard-on for me"

"Has your Uncle given you any indication as to why he's so ticked with ya?" Tilden asked him. Three shook his head. "Well whatever ya did, fix it, and that is an order" he added.

"How can I fix it if I don't even know what it is?"

"That isn't my problem, Staff Sergeant"

"Thank you, Sir" Three let the sarcasm drip off his words. "As always, there is no threshold to your inspiring words"

"What?" Tilden gave him a look of confusion.

"Yeah, I don't know, I had something in my head and that's what ended up coming out"

"Smooth, real smooth"

"So, until orders come down for the final assault, what are our orders?"

"Recon" The LT told him. "in 2 hours we're moving out north along the Bagdad Road to a place called Badr, 14 miles north of here. We are to establish an LP and await further orders"

"They know that we're Rangers right?" Three said. "Our job is to kick people's teeth in, not fuckin reconnaissance. That's what we have the bootfuck Jarheads for"

"As always Staff Sergeant, your eloquent use of profanity never ceases to amaze me" he joked.

"Either way Sir, I'm better off stuck here with you guys then I am back with my team. At least while I'm here, Colonel Colleton can't chew my ass out cause he's still pissed with my old man"

"You spoken with him recently?"

"Which one?"

"Your Father"

"No" Three shook his head. "Last I heard, he'd taken a job with NCIS, but even that I got second hand from Doc Benoit over at the 8063rd"

"Don't be too hard on him. The Army was the only thing he ever knew, that is until Colleton pulled the carpet out from under him"

"Don't I know it" Three said. "When I was a kid, I used to hate that he was away all the time. It wasn't until I got older that I truly began to understand, ya know?"

"I feel ya" the LT agreed. Behind them, a Humvee pulled up. They turned around and saw Staff Sergeant Zander Smith jump out.

"Razor, what the fuck are you doing here?" Three asked.

"Busting you out" Zander grinned as he pulled an envelope from his breast pocket. "Sir" he saluted Lieutenant Hagan, who returned it. "I have orders direct from the Colonel himself. Staff Sergeant DiNozzo is to rejoin Delta most ricki tick" he smiled. Tilden opened the orders and confirmed it.

"Very well" he nodded. "Staff Sergeant, gather your gear" he ordered.

"Sir" Three snapped to attention and saluted. After he stepped away, Zander turned to his old CO.

"It's good to see you again, Sir" Zander told him.

"You too Staff Sergeant. I trust that you're well on the mend?"

"Oh yes Sir" Zander nodded. "And eager to kick those fuckin camel jockeys in their fuckin camel toes, Sir" he smiled.

"You Delta guys are fuckin nuts"

"And proud of it, Sir" Zander smiled. Within another minute, Three had returned with his pack and rifle.

"I'm all set, Sir" Three said as he tossed them into the Humvee.

"You did a fine job here Staff Sergeant, it was a honor fighting beside you"

"And you, Sir" Three snapped to attention and gave a firm, crisp salute. The Lieutenant happily returned it.

"You are dismissed, Staff Sergeant" Tilden told him as he lowered his arm.

"Sir!" Three replied lowering his own. They climbed into the Humvee and Zander turned over the engine. "Let's roll" he told Zander.

 **2100 hours local time, 8 July 2003,** **Tenuta Polverino Hotel, Naples, Italy.**

It was dark when Tony and Paris arrived at the Hotel where Peter Haller had been found. "We've got him?" Tony asked Agent Melankovic as they walked into the lobby.

"Not exactly" she replied. She took them up to a room on the top floor and pushed open the door. "See for yourself" she motioned with her arm. Tony and Paris stepped inside. Peter Haller was dead, strangled, and tied to a chair, just like all of his victims. And just like all of his victims, he was positioned near the window, overlooking the harbor. Tony looked out to the harbor, where the USS Gilchrest was preparing to leave port in only a matter of minutes.

"Someone will have to notify Commander Waller" Paris said.

"I'll take care of it" Agent Melankovic assured them.

"Who did this?" Tony wondered aloud.

"We found a note in his pocket" Jane said, handing him the evidence bag. "We're not certain who it's meant for" she added. Tony quickly read it, and was instantly horrified.

 _Not to worry Movie Buff, this is just the first round of our little game_

 _You'll be hearing from me soon_

"The only question is, who is "Movie Buff"" Jane asked.

"Me" Tony told her, handing her the evidence. "It's me"

"So, this guy knows you?" Paris asked.

"Oh, it would appear that he knows a great deal more than that" Tony spoke ominously.

 **A/N- PLEASE REVIEW**

 **(Tali's Voice)- "Next time on "28 Seconds: Blood & Iron""- **

**In D.C., Tony lands on Meg's bad side when a letter he wrote to President Reagan in the 9** **th** **grade resurfaces. Meanwhile, Tony speaks with his father about his continued role in the family business. In Iraq, Three reunites with his team as they prep a recon into the heart of Baghdad. Finally, in Port Charles, AJ & Liz prep for AJ's upcoming primary debate. **

**A/N2- ok, once again I am so, so sorry about the massive delay. But I swear that it couldn't be helped. My life has just been so hectic this past year. But I vow to you all that I will not give up on this story. I shall push it through to the bitter end.**

 **Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all, and to all a goodnight!**


End file.
